HC Deb 10 May 2000 vol 349 c407W
Mr. Gerald Howarth

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children there were in foster homes in(a) 1970, (b) 1980 and (c) 1999; and of these, how many were from (i) broken families, (ii) single parent family units and (iii) intact families. [120675]

Mr. Hutton

The information available is given in the table:

Children in care/looked after in foster placements, in England, years ending 31 March 1970, 1980, 1999
Boarded out/foster placements
Year ending 31 March Number Rate per 10,000 population1
1970 28,900 23
1980 35,200 27
1999 36,200 32
1 Aged under 18

Notes:

  1. 1. All numbers of children have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
  2. 2. Figures for children looked after in this table exclude agreed series of short-term placements.
  3. 3. Figures for 1970 were collected under the provisions of the Children Act 1948.
  4. 4. Figures for 1980 were collected under the provisions of the Children and young Persons Act 1969.
  5. 5. Figures for 1999 were collected under the provisions of the Children Act 1989.
  6. 6. The Department of Health does not collect data on the family background of children looked after.

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