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.3A 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)
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.)
Are you using our statistics? Get in touch: [email protected]
Fostering
Fostering
- There are approximately 2,639 foster households in Northern Ireland, this is a 7% decrease since last year when there were 2,827 households.75
- 4 in 5 children in care are placed in a foster care arrangement, this is approximately 80% of all children in care in Northern Ireland (n=3,999). 76
- 54% of children in foster care are cared for by kinship carers.77
Fostering
- 69% of children in care live with a foster family (n=4,955).59
- There are approximately, 3,800 foster families in Wales.60
- 10% of young people who left care having turned 18 in 2022/23 continued to live with their former foster parents under ‘When I am Ready’ arrangements.61
Fostering
- Approximately 54% of children in care live with a foster family (n=5,333).41
- There are approximately 2,998 approved foster care households in Scotland. This is an 8% decrease from 2021/22 and a 17% decrease since 2019/20.42
- 43% of children in care live with kinship carers (n=4,154).43
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
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