This document provides a guide to looked after children statistics published by the UK Department for Education.
The key areas covered in this guide are:
- Data collection and coverage
- Data processing
- Information on published statistics
- Data quality and uses
The statistics are based on information on looked after children collected in the SSDA903 return which is completed annually by local authorities in England. The return is submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) and is required for two groups of children:
1. every child who is looked after by the local authority at any time during the year; and
2. children who have been looked after for at least 13 weeks which began after they reached the age of 14 and ended after they reached the age of 16 who are now aged 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 (care leavers)
The figures presented are based on data reported by all 152 local authorities in England.
Read also: A guide to looked after children statistics in England: December 2019
