Background
Along with 29 other Local Authorities Plymouth City Council has adopted ‘care experienced’ as a local protected characteristic. Care experienced is defined as covering anyone who has lived experience as a child in local authority care. Whilst it does not currently have the same statutory basis and legal protections as those protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act we have made a corporate commitment to treat it as though it does. The profile that follows is based on individuals currently or recently in our care. There will be many more care experienced individuals living in our City, those that left our care, years, or even decades ago, and those who have been in care elsewhere in the UK, or abroad.
On the 31 March 2024 there were 513 children in our care. Demographic data indicates that there were 294 boys and 219 girls, 112 (22%) were 16 years and over, 234 (46%) aged 10 -15, 92 (18%) aged 5-9, 55 (11%) aged 1-4 and 20 (4%) under 1 year old. The majority 477 (93%) were white, 16 (3%) were Black African, Caribbean or Black British and 14 (3%) from other ethnic groups and there were less than 5 Asian or Asian British or Mixed or Multiple ethnic backgrounds. 14 (3%) were unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. These proportions are broadly comparable with the data for all English Local Authorities data (±2%), with the exception of those aged 10-15 years (+8%), 16 years plus (-5%) and unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (-6%).
Abuse or neglect (74%) was the most common category of need, a significantly higher proportion than for all English Local Authorities (66%). Parental illness or disability (8%), or Child disability (4%), Absent Parenting (3%), Family in Acute Distress (5%) or Family Dysfunction (5%) were the other recorded categories. These figures represent a slight decrease on last year in abuse or neglect cases and the gap with the all England gigure closes by 5%, however this was matched by an increase in family related reasons. A full care order was in place for 308 (60%), interim care orders covered another 128 (25%), there were 17 (3%) placement orders and 60 (12%) voluntary agreements. These proportions are broadly comparable with the data for all English Local Authorities data (±2%), with the exception of full care orders (+3%) interim care orders (+7%) and voluntary agreements (-7%), however we made greater use of voluntary agreements and less of full care orders than last year.
The rate of children in our care per 10,000 children aged under 18 years is 99 which is significantly higher than the SW regional figure (63) and the all England figure (70). The gap between our rate and the all England figure has increased by 5 points over the last 12 months. We took 193 children into our care in 2024, more than we did in 2023 (183). Last year 184 children left our care, more than in 2023 (177) which was itself the highest figure since 2018, we consistently have more children leaving care than the England rate.
A strong link between the extent of deprivation of local authorities in England and their numbers of children going into the care system through the family courts has been uncovered by researchers at Lancaster University. The study found that for every one unit increase in the standardized Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) English index of multiple area deprivation, the number of children in care proceedings in English family courts increased by around 70%. Plymouth has 29 LSOAs ranked among the most deprived 10% in England.
Of the 513 children in our care in 2024, 288 (56%) were accommodated within our boundaries, slightly more (+1%) proportionally than the England figure. The remainder 209 were accommodated outside our boundaries and of these 119 were more than 20 miles from home. We accommodated 207 within our own provision significantly more than the 167 we were able to accommodate in our own provision in 2023 but private provision was still required to accommodate 243 children, a significantly more common requirement than the all England proportion (+10%), voluntary sector (12) was slightly less commonly used than the all England proportion (-5%), parental provision (27) small numbers in other LA or public sector provision and unreported placements (14) made up the balance.
Overall, 363 children were placed with foster parents and nine were placed for adoption. 89 were in secure units, children’s homes or semi-independent living accommodation. Parental or other placement or residential settings accounted for the remaining 52 children.
Education
Research has long demonstrated the benefits of education include better physical and mental health, avoidance of risk behaviours, lower rates of unemployment and increased earning potential, particularly post-secondary education.
Educational outcomes for the care-experienced are in general poor, much higher numbers of looked after young people leave school at the age of 16, and compared to the national average only a small percentage go on to study at university. Care-experienced students are less likely to study STEM subjects, and are underrepresented in higher status universities. This may mean that they are less likely to locate graduate-level employment, progress to postgraduate study, and access high-skilled employment.
The most recent figures for Plymouth show 32% of care leavers aged 17 and 18 and 45% of those aged 19 to 21 not in education, training or employment (NEET), compared with young people locally (4.4%) they remain around nine times more likely to be NEET. It is particularly noteworthy that very few are in apprenticeships or higher education. Specific data is not available at the time of writing for children in our care, but for children in need generally, which incorporates children in care, the proportion achieving grade 4 or above in English and Mathematics is 17.8%, around 4% fewer than the figure for all English authorities.
High rates of exclusion and truancy are evident within the looked-after population generally, and is linked to poor education performance and future risk behaviour such as offending, substance misuse, social exclusion and unemployment. The persistent absence rate for children in local; authority care at 31 March 2023 was slightly higher in Plymouth (24.6%) than in than across all Local Authorities (24.3%) in England and 16% of children in our care received at least one suspension in the preceding 12 months. Missing out on school can result in missing out on work experience placements and on opportunities to develop confidence, interpersonal skills and a sense of achievement through academic and non-academic activities.
Despite an increased policy focus on education and career options, care leavers continue to face challenges and disadvantages in education, employment and training. Most encounter obstacles to finding and sustaining career options in the early years after care, and for some this can persist for years after, increasing risk of long-term unemployment, poverty, and social exclusion.
Work
Young people (those aged 16 to 24 years) have a lower participation in the labour market than older people. In October to December 2024 the unemployment rate for young people was 14.8%, up from 11.9% from the year before. They are also less resilient to shocks in the labour market than older people, such as the financial downturn of 2009/09 and the Corona virus pandemic. Care-experienced young people face these same challenges but compounded by their specific challenges and vulnerabilities.
Research shows that where care leavers are in work and training it is often casual or temporary employment, or low-level, short term training and education courses. Institutional barriers such as benefits regimes and a lack of transport and childcare services can offer additional challenges to finding and sustaining participation.
Success transitioning to employment may be dependent on an adequate overall support network, including continuous care from a single supportive adult, work colleagues and supervisors. But while apprenticeships are seen as a good employment option for young people, care leavers can often be put off by the low levels of pay and the entry requirements. Taking an apprenticeship can leave them financially worse off than being unemployed.
Living standards
Housing remains a key concern, with some young people reporting that they have been expected to live in places when they leave care which are unsuitable and feel unsafe. In 2023, whilst 89% of 17 to 18 year olds and 85% or 19 to 21 year olds were in suitable accommodation, 16 children aged 17 to 21 years, left our care into accommodation that was not considered suitable.
The sudden withdrawal of care agencies while having to cope with the emotional and practical upheavals of adapting to living alone, are major challenges. Housing may be a greater priority for care leavers than careers, and that experience immediately after leaving care exerts a strong effect on the ability of young people to access and sustain involvement in education, training and work.
Health
Children looked after in Plymouth of all ages were on average 2% less likely to have had their annual health assessment, which was a significant improvement on the 2022 figure of 18%. The proportion having their teeth checked by a dentist remains a cause for concern at 23% less likely than the national average but has improved by 5% over last year. This is a citywide problem affecting the whole population with working age adults only 2/3 as likely to have seen an NHS dentist as the national average for that cohort. Local data on immunisations shows that children of all ages looked after in Plymouth are 15% less likely to have their immunisations up to date, this is disappointing as in 2022 they were 5% more likely.
Desk research suggests that by far the biggest health issue for Care Leavers is mental health. The current system of mental health support for children in care and care experienced young people is inadequate, with long waiting lists and high thresholds for those wanting to access support. The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) is used to assess children’s mental health. In 2024 SDQ data was captured for 47% of children aged 5 -16 looked after in Plymouth, 30% less than the national average and proportionally considerably fewer than we held data for 2 years ago (58%) or 5 years ago (83%). Of those more than half (58%) are recorded as giving cause for concern.
A specific point mentioned by Barnardos in their report “A care system that cares: Lessons for the Independent Review of Children's Social Care”, is that accessing care records can be a traumatic experience capable of triggering many past emotions including feelings of abandonment and betrayal. Many workers, particularly those working with teenagers, are not offering the type of advice and information they need, for example in relation to sex or relationships.
Justice and personal security
Children with care experience are significantly over-represented in youth justice populations due to factors like poor attachment with parents/carers, lack of supervision, and experiences of abuse and neglect. Girls with care experience face higher risks of sexual exploitation, early sexual intercourse, and early motherhood and Care experience can exacerbate racial injustice through cultural stereotyping and adultification.
While less than 1% of the general population has been in care, estimates suggest that around 24% of the adult prison population has care experience. For women this figure is even higher, with estimates suggesting that 31% of adult females in custody have been in care.
Nationally about 50% of children in custody have been in care. This is particularly troubling given that only a small percentage of children enter care due to their own behaviour. 33% of care-experienced children born between 1996 and 1999 received a youth justice caution or conviction by age 17, compared to 4% of non-care-experienced children. 92% of looked after children who received custodial sentences by age 24 had special educational needs. Locally we have just 1 child in our care and four care leavers currently in custody.
The abrupt reduction of support at age 18 increases the risk of offending behaviours. Vulnerable children, including those with care experience, are at higher risk of gang involvement due to various risk factors. Girls who experience family breakdown, or suffer adverse childhood experiences, are particularly vulnerable to sexual exploitation and abuse. Secure accommodation may not always be the best way to protect children from exploitation. Both boys and girls can exhibit harmful sexual behaviours, but boys are more often the perpetrators, and girls the victims.
Children in care are more likely to be criminalised for minor offences that would not typically lead to police involvement for children living with their families. This is particularly true for those in residential care settings. Many care-experienced individuals have complex needs, including mental health issues, special educational needs, and histories of trauma and abuse, which can increase their vulnerability to criminal behavior.
Participation
The stigma attached to ‘being in care’ means that children in care do not always want to confide in friends. This can heighten the feelings of being alone and mean that even if there are other children who have been through a similar situation for example in their school, they cannot reach out to them. Care-experienced young people can experience stigma when accessing services, from health, to housing, to employment.
Care leavers also face social exclusion due to their experiences of life in care, and the adjustment after care. These may include excessive dependence, weakened or non-existent networks of support, stress and anxiety, and a personal identity often dominated in a restrictive way by their care-experienced status and resulting stigma. They are more likely to have difficulty gaining employment, work unskilled jobs, have weak networks, lower earnings, and lack preparation for independent living.
Being in care can make it difficult for some children to participate in activities that children not in care take for granted. This includes going on school trips or visiting friends’ houses. the rules can mean children can be put in the embarrassing position of having to jump through extra hoops, such as asking a friend’s parents to undergo a police check before they can stay over.
Lack of continuous support may result in fractured networks for young adults leaving care, limiting who can be called on for support. These experiences can lead to an unwillingness to commit to new relationships, particular important in the workplace.
Studies on care leavers have shown that resilience is promoted by stability in care, opportunities for a delayed transition to adulthood, participation in life decisions, and access to social support. In a Community Care survey of 800 children’s social workers in 2021, 79% said that their caseloads were either ‘completely unmanageable’ or ‘hard to manage’. In Plymouth in 2020, 21% of children in care had two or more changes in Social worker in the preceding 12 months, 37% had one change and 42% had no changes, Plymouth performed better (-7%) than the national average in this respect.
References
- Data from Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2024.
- Data from Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2024.
- Data from Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2024.
- Area-deprivation, social care spending and the rates of children in care proceedings in local authorities in England, Doebler 2023
- Data from Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2024.
- Data from Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2024.
- Employment and further study outcomes for care experienced graduates, (Harrison, 2020).
- Scottish Care Leavers Covenant, Sanders, 2021.
- Employment and further study outcomes for care experienced graduates, (Harrison, 2020).
- Data from Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2023.
- Data from outcomes for children in need including children looked after by local authorities in England 2023/23 (published 30 March 2024).
- Data from outcomes for children in need including children looked after by local authorities in England 2023/23 (published 30 March 2024)
- Scottish Care Leavers Covenant, Sanders, 2021.
- Obstacles to participation in education, employment and training for young people leaving care, Dixon 2021
- Labour Force Survey, ONS December 2025
- ONS - Young people in the labour market by socio-economic background, UK: 2014 to 2021, published March 2022
- Developing Employment Opportunities for Care Leavers, Bilson 2011.
- Scottish Care Leavers Covenant, Sanders, 2021
- Work and resilience: Care leavers' experiences of navigating towards employment and independence, Furey 2021
- A care system that cares: Lessons for the Independent Review of Children's Social Care, Barnados 2021
- Data from Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2024.
- Work and resilience: Care leavers' experiences of navigating towards employment and independence, Furey 2021
- Data from Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2024.
- Data from Children Looked after in England including adoptions 2024.
- A care system that cares: Lessons for the Independent Review of Children's Social Care, Barnados 2021
- A care system that cares: Lessons for the Independent Review of Children's Social Care, Barnados 2021
- A care system that cares: Lessons for the Independent Review of Children's Social Care, Barnados 2021
- Research and Data Analysis, Children with Care Experience, HM Inspectorate of Probation (Data from Youth Justice Board 2022/23
- A care system that cares: Lessons for the Independent Review of Children's Social Care, Barnados 2021