Statistics: Wales
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> Children in public care
> Placements
> Adoption Orders
> Adoption from Care
> Adoptions Search and Reunion
> Sources
Children in public care
- 5,419 children were in the care of local authorities on 31st March 2011
- The rates of looked after children per 10,000 under 18 years on 31st March 2011 was 87
- 1,885 children started to be looked after during the year ending 31st March 2011
- 1,635 children ceased to be looked after during the year ending 31st March 2011
Gender
- 2,890 of children looked after on 31st March 2011 were boys and 2,530 were girls
Age
- 285 of children looked after on 31st March 2011 were under 1 year old
- 1,130 were aged between 1 and 4 years old
- 1,135 were aged between 5 and 9 years old
- 2,080 were aged between 10 and 15 years old
- 795 were aged 16 and over
Ethnicity
- 5,070 of children looked after on 31st March 2011 were white
- 155 were of mixed racial background
- 45 were Asian or Asian British
- 40 were Black or Black British
- 60 were from other ethnic groups
- 50 were of unknown ethnic origin
Placements
- 4,311 of children looked after on 31st March 2011 were living with foster carers
- 498 were living with their parents
- 281 were living in residential placements
- 183 were placed for adoption
Private Fostering
- 68 children were known to be living under private fostering arrangements at 31st March 2011
- 74 children were in private fostering arrangements that began in the year ending 31st March 2011
- 61 private fostering arrangements ended during the year ending 31st March 2011
Adoption Orders
- 4,472 adoption orders (by date of court order) were made in England and Wales during 2010
Figures on adoption orders apply to adoptions by relatives and step-parents as well as adoptions from care.
Adoptions from Care
250 children were adopted from care during the year ending 31st March 2011
Gender
56% (130) of children adopted during the year ending 31st March 2011 were boys and 44% (120) were girls
Age
The average age at adoption in the year ending 31st March 2011 was 3 years 10 months
- *% (*) of children adopted was under 1 year old
- 76% (190) were aged between 1 and 4 years old
- 20% (50) were aged between 5 and 9 years old
- 2% (5) were aged between 10 and 15 years old
- *% (*) were aged 16 years and over
(* = suppressed to prevent disclosure)
Waiting times
For children adopted during the year ending 31st March 2011:
- The average time between entry into care and adoption was 905 days (approximately 2 years 6 months)
- The average time between the best interest decision and adoption was 552 days (approximately 1 year 6 months)
Foster Carer Adoptions
35 of the children adopted from care in the year ending March 31st 2011 were adopted by their former foster carer
Adoption Search and Reunion
The Adoption Contact Register for England and Wales
At 30th June 2001, there were 19,683 adoptees and 8,492 relatives on the Adoption Register for England and Wales, and 539 successful matches have been made since the start of the Adoption Register in 1991.
Sources:
Personal Social Services Statistics Wales 2010–11
www.statswales.wales.gov.uk
Adoptions, Outcomes and Placements for Children Looked After by Local Authorities: Year Ending 31 March 2011
www.wales.gov.uk
Adoption Orders in England and Wales, 2010
www.statistics.gov.uk
Adoptees and Relatives who Wish to Contact Each Other Using the Adoption Contact Register: Trends, relationships and proportions of records matched, from Population Trends, No 106, Winter 2001
www.statistics.gov.uk
Children's Social Work Statistics 2012 Edition (Scotland but some data in additional tables covers all countries)
www.scotland.gov.uk
