New figures show an increase in looked after children in England

New figures show that 69,310 children were looked after across 151 local authorities in England, 0.6% of all children. This is an increase of 756 children, or 1% on the previous figures. Three-quarters of children were fostered, 9% were in children's homes and 5% were placed for adoption.

Key points from the statistics include:

• Minority ethnic children who are looked after are more likely to live in secure units, young offenders institutions, or in prison
• One fifth of local authorities placed a small number of children in children’s homes judged inadequate at the time of placement
• The majority of fostered children were placed within 10 miles of their local authority boundary
• White children were twice as likely to be placed in an area of lower levels of crime

Interested in finding out more?

Read the full report from Ofsted.

Find out what's happening in Scotland. Read the statistics published by the Scottish Government.