Statistics

National statistics for fostering and adoption

Why we track national statistics

At Home for Good we are committed to finding a home for every child who needs one through adoption, fostering or supported lodgings. Alongside working ‘bottom-up’ to find homes and mobilising support to wrap around carers, we also work ‘top-down’ to help find solutions to the complex challenges the sector faces. Digging deeper into these figures helps us to be more effective. Whether in unpacking the geographical nuances in the data, highlighting racial disparity in the system, or identifying barriers that hinder progress, the numbers matter.

It is of paramount importance we remember that these figures tell stories – thousands of stories – of children waiting too long for the stability, care and love they need. They are not data points or lines on a spreadsheet, but precious children who need loving homes where they can thrive. Everyone has a part they can play. We work with policymakers and politicians, local authorities and agencies, volunteers, churches, individuals and families and we won’t stop. Together we can find a home for every child who needs one.

UK-wide statistics

This year in the UK around 39,053 children and young people will enter the care system.1 That is 107 children every day.

There are around 104,577 children in the UK who are looked after away from home.2

Wales has the highest rate of looked after children away from home in the UK at 116 per 10,000 of the under 18 population. Scotland has a slightly lower rate at 97 per 10,000 while the rates in Northern Ireland and England are much lower at 92 per 10,000 and 70 per 10,000 respectively.3

A need for homes

69,877 children live with over 52,300 fostering households across the UK. (4) In 2023, there were 2210 children waiting for adoption in England and 237 children waiting for adoption in Wales. (5)

Read Katie’s fostering story here. Read Victoria’s adoption story here.

Racial disparity

Black children are disproportionately represented in our care system. While Black children make up 5% of the general population, they make up 7% of the looked after children population. (6) Black children are then less likely to go on to be adopted and wait longer to find their adoptive family. (7) When other factors are held constant, Black children spend on average 5-8 months longer in the adoption process before moving in with their adoptive family. (8)

More on racial disparity.

Caring for teenagers

Children in care are predominantly older with 38% aged 10-15 years and 26% aged 16 years and over. (9)

Read our 'Voices of Supported Lodgings' report Read Dave’s caring for teenagers story here.

(Reference information is available here.)

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England

Overview

  • There are 83,630 children in the care system in England, a decrease of 0.5% from 2023, but a 23% increase from 2014.10
  • 33,050 children entered the care system in 2024, very similar to last year, but an increase of 8% from 2014.11
  • 33,620 children left the care system in 2024. This is an increase of 6% from 2023 and an increase of 10% from 2014.12
  • 11% of children who left care in 2024 left under a special guardianship order and 9% left through adoption. There has been a 1% decrease in the number of children adopted compared to 2023.13
  • Children in care are predominantly older with 38% aged 10-15 years and 27% aged 16 years and over.14
  • During 2024, 69% of children in care had one placement in the year, while 10% experienced high instability (3 or more placements).15
  • 22% of children in care are placed over 20 miles from their home area.16

Fostering

  • 67% of children in care live with a foster family (n=56,390) this has decreased 3% since 2022.17
  • There are 42,615 fostering households in England. This is a 2% decrease since 2022 and a 4% decrease since 2020.18
  • At the end of March 2024 there were 3,785 new approved fostering households.19
  • There are now 57,065 approved foster cares in England. This is a 4% decrease since 2022 and a 15% decrease since 2020.20

Adoption

  • In 2024, 2,980 children were adopted, similar to the previous year.21
  • The average age of a child at adoption is 3 years and 4 months, which is down slightly by one month compared to last year but is up from 3 years in 2020. 22
  • In 2024, the average time between a child entering care and being placed for adoption was 1 year and 7 months, the same as last year. It then takes a further 9 months (on average) for an adoption order to be granted and the adoption to be completed.23
  • As of October 2024, there were 2600 children waiting for adoption this is an decrease of 25% since 2022. 47% of these children have been waiting for 18 months or more, a 1% decrease from last year.24
  • In 2024, Children aged over 5, male, from an Ethnic Minority (excludes White minorities) background, with a disability and in a sibling group were more likely to be waiting with a PO and less likely to be adopted.25

Care leavers and care-experienced young people

  • In 2023, 13,112 young people in England aged out of the care system on their 18th Birthday. This has increased by 4% since 2020.26
  • The number of care leavers aged 18-20 experiencing homelessness has increased by 54% over the past five years.27
  • Care leavers make up 25% of the adult homeless population.28
  • Almost 25% of the adult prison population have previously been in care,29 and nearly 50% of under 21-year-olds in contact with the criminal justice system have spent time in care.30
  • Looked-after children are more at risk of interacting with the criminal justice system in early adulthood than their peers. Among looked-after children 52% were convicted of a criminal offence by the academic year they turned the age of 24, compared to 13% of children who had not experienced care.31
  • 7% of care leavers aged 17 years; 3% of care leavers aged 18 years and 6% of care leavers aged 19-21 are in accommodation considered to be unsuitable.32
  • 39% of care leavers aged 19-21 years are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), compared to 13% of all 19- to 21-year-olds. The number of care leavers aged 19-21 who are not in education, employment, or training has increased by 1% since 2023.33
  • Just 9% of care leavers enter HE by their 19th birthday, compared to 47% of the wider population.34
  • Care-experienced applicants are 179% more likely to apply for health and social care degrees than non-care-experienced students, and 50% more likely to apply for nursing and midwifery.35

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