§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were accommodated by local592W authorities other than under care orders in (a) Staffordshire, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England and Wales in 1996. [17162]
§ Mr. BoatengAs published in Table 3 of "Children Looked After by Local Authorities, year Ending 31 March 1996, England" the figures for children looked after at 31 March not under a care order were(a) 350 for Staffordshire, (b) 2,300 for West Midlands (excluding Solihull, for which no data are available), and (c) 22,300 for England.
These figures exclude children who were looked after under an agreed series of short-term placements.
Questions relating to Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care orders were made in(a) Staffordshire, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England and Wales in 1996. [17165]
§ Mr. BoatengFigures for care orders made during the year ending 31 March 1996, the latest year for which information is available, were(a) 170 for Staffordshire, (b) 1,070 for West Midlands (excluding Solihull, for which no data are available), and (c) 10,100 for England.
Figures include both interim and full care orders, excluding renewals.
Questions relating to Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children(a) in care under care orders and (b) otherwise accommodated by local authorities left the care of local authorities in (i) Staffordshire, (ii) the West Midlands and (iii) England and Wales in 1996; for what reasons; and where they went. [17163]
§ Mr. BoatengThe latest available figures for children at the point of leaving care are given in the table. Statistics are not collected centrally on the subsequent history of such children after they have left care, but a Department of Health funded research project published in 1995 looked at the experiences of a small sample of care leavers. About half moved first to some form of transitional accommodation (e.g. hostel, lodgings, or to stay with friends); 20 per cent. moved directly into independent tenancies in the public, voluntary or private sector; 12 per cent. returned to live with parents or relatives; and 15 per cent. made no move when they first ceased to be "looked after", choosing to remain with parents, relatives or foster carers.
As the research sample was very small (74 individuals), care must be taken in drawing any general conclusions from these figures.
Questions relating to Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
593W
Children who ceased to be looked after during year ending 31 March 1996, by reason that the final episode of care ceased, England England West Midlands Staffordshire All children 31,600 3,340 390 Reason ceased to be looked after: Children under care orders All children under care orders 5,350 570 90 Reached maximum age 1,800 180 20 Care order discharged or expired 1,900 220 50 Care order replaced by supervision order 170 20 — Adopted 880 70 10 Other reason ceased to be looked after 600 70 10 Other legal status All children who were looked after under other legal statuses 26,250 2,740 300 Reached maximum age 1,270 110 30 Adopted 830 90 20 Placement ceased in accordance with plan 14,020 1,280 120 Placement ceased at request of parents 4,700 610 50 Placement ceased at request of child 1,600 170 20 Police protection order expired 430 50 — Accommodation on remand ceased 1,030 80 20 Other reason ceased to be looked after 2,400 340 50 Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; totals may not sum due to rounding. Figures for care orders include both Interim, full and deemed Care Orders, and relate to the latest recorded legal status when the child ceased to be looked after.
Figures exclude children who are accommodated under an agreed series of short-term placements.
Where a child already looked after moved into respite care, that child is regarded as having ceased to be looked after for the purposes of this statistical analysis.
These figures include estimates for missing data. The West Midlands figure covers the Government Office Region, excluding Solihull for which no data are available.