Official Statistics

Characteristics of children in need: 2016 to 2017

Children referred to and assessed by children's social services for the year ending 31 March 2017.

From:
Department for Education
Published
2 November 2017
Last updated
28 March 2018 — See all updates

Applies to England

Documents

Main text: SFR61/2017

PDF, 723 KB, 16 pages

Main tables: SFR61/2017

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 779 KB

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Methodology document: SFR61/2017

PDF, 354 KB, 16 pages

Data quality and uses: SFR61/2017

PDF, 214 KB, 15 pages

Underlying data: SFR61/2017

ZIP, 65.3 KB

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Pre-release access list: SFR61/2017

HTML

Outcomes tables: SFR61/2017

MS Excel Spreadsheet, 9.48 MB

Outcomes methodology document: SFR61/2017

PDF, 219 KB, 13 pages

Outcomes pre-release access list: SFR61/2017

HTML

Outcomes underlying data: SFR61/2017

ZIP, 176 KB

Details

This statistical first release (SFR) includes information on:

  • children in need of social services
  • children referred to social services
  • assessments undertaken and primary need at first assessment
  • section 47 enquiries (a local authority carries out one of these if they suspect a child is suffering, or likely to suffer, significant harm) and initial child protection conferences
  • children who were the subject of a child protection plan

It is based on child-level data collected via the children in need census.

These statistics were previously designated National Statistics. However an inconsistency was identified within the derivation of the ‘in need at any point during the year’ and the ‘ended an episode of need’ flags. The inconsistency relates to how particular cases that remain open across census periods are dealt with. The headline measures of the number of children in need at the end of the year are unaffected.

As a result, and in agreement with the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA), these statistics have been de-designated as National Statistics while we review the methodology. Correspondence between the department and UKSA on the matter is available on the UKSA website:

Please refer to the data quality and uses document for further information and the scale of the impact.

The outcomes tables show figures that result from matching the children in need census to the national pupil database (NPD). These tables show children in need by:

  • free school meals (FSM)
  • special educational needs (SEN)
  • attainment
  • absence
  • exclusions

The outcomes methodology document explains the matching process and calculations used in these tables.

Children’s services statistics team - CIN

Email CIN.Stats@education.gov.uk

Telephone: Chris Gray 01325 340854

Updates to this page

Published 2 November 2017
Last updated 28 March 2018 + show all updates

  1. Updated to include tables on outcomes of children in need.

  2. Re-uploaded the underlying data .csv file to correct a mis-labelling problem caused by a duplicated column header.

  3. First published.

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