Corporate Parenting - Who Cares? Scotland 

Scotland’s Chief Statistician has published Children Looked After Statistics 2009-10.

These new statistics are obtained from the children looked after survey completed by all local authorities in Scotland.

The main findings are:

• At 31 July 2010 there were 15,892 children looked after by local authorities, an increase of four per cent since March 31, 2009. The number of children looked after has increased every year since 2001, and is at its highest since 1982
• Of the 15,892 children looked after on July 31, 2010, 14,999 (94 per cent) of them had a current care plan
• There were 4,859 children who started to be looked after during August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010, a decrease of seven per cent compared with April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009
• There were 4,504 children who ceased being looked after during August 1, 2009 to July 31, 2010, an increase of three per cent compared with April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009
• Fifty-one per cent of young people ceasing to be looked after above school leaving age during August 1, 2009 and July 31, 2010 had a pathway plan on the date they were discharged, and 69 per cent had a pathway coordinator
• There were 3,918 young people reported to be eligible for aftercare services on July 31, 2010. Thirty-seven per cent of those receiving aftercare and who had a known economic activity were in education, training or employment, an increase of two percentage points on March 31, 2009
• At July 31, 2010 there were 1,757 children being looked after on a current planned series of short term placements. Sixty- three per cent of all these were looked after in residential establishments

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