The Scottish Government has published its latest statistics (2023/24) on children and young people who are looked after or in continuing care - and they paint a complex picture of progress, pressure, and policy questions.

While the overall number of children in care is falling, growing reliance on kinship care and a drop in foster carers highlight deep challenges in the system that cannot be ignored.

The Numbers at a Glance

• 9,531 children are currently in care - the lowest since 2006 (a 2% decrease from last year and 17% decrease since 2013/14).
• 3,105 entered care and 3,398 left care – both down 28% since 2014. These figures include children who are looked after at home.
• 5% of care leavers were looked after for under six weeks.
• 14% of children live in residential settings (n = 1,324).

Who’s Caring for Scotland’s Children?

• 32% of children are placed with foster carers (n = 3,683).
• 43% are with kinship carers (n = 4,099) - the largest proportion in the system.
• As of the beginning of 2024, there are 2,998 approved foster households, a 17% drop since 2019/20.

What’s the Takeaway?

Scotland’s care population is shrinking, but that’s not the full story. The foster care shortfall is real, and kinship carers, while essential, are often unsupported and overstretched.

One staff member commented:

“Kinship carers often receive minimal training and support, even though they are approved and paid carers.”

As these figures reflect broader societal changes, they call for ongoing evaluation of policies to ensure that vulnerable children receive the care and support they need.

Read More

You can explore the full stats on the Scottish Government website.

Note: For the purposes of comparison with other UK nations, ‘children in care’ in this section refers to children who are looked after away from their home or parents, unless otherwise specified.