WQ85405 (e) Tabled on 07/06/2022

Further to Plenary on 7 June 2022, will the First Minister outline the number of looked after children in Wales in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021?

Answered by Deputy Minister for Social Services | Answered on 15/06/2022

Information on children looked after by local authorities in Wales is collected and published through the Looked After Children Census data collection. This is an annual data collection submitted by local authorities to Welsh Government to provide details of those children who are looked after at any point during the reporting year.

Additionally, local authorities formerly reported quarterly to the Welsh Government against their plans to reduce numbers of children who are looked after as part of the 3-year Reduction Expectation Plans work (April 2019 to March 2022). WQ84833 previously reported on this data.

The official number of children who were looked after at 31 March each year is available on StatsWales here: https://statswales.gov.wales/v/LmsE