The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Care Journeys in Scotland: An Analysis of the Administrative Data on 'Looked After' Children

SCADR, the Scottish Centre for Administrative Data Research, in partnership with CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, has published a report which looks at the effect the first 16 months of the COVID-19 pandemic had on the social care of children in need of care and protection in Scotland.

‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Care Journeys in Scotland’ study, funded by the ESRC and UKRI, undertook an analysis of the Scottish Government’s Longitudinal Looked After Children Dataset, with the report providing detailed insight into the disruption experienced within children’s social care from March 2020 to July 2021 for children, their families and the people who work to support them. It looked at the impact that the pandemic had on the rate of children and young people entering and leaving care, and the impact of the pandemic on the stability of children and young people’s care. It is hoped that these insights will be useful to how children’s services seek to recover from the pandemic and the work needed to fulfil the ambitions of The Promise of the Independent Care Review.