Exploring the Lives of Care Experienced Children and Young People

About the report 

This report, produced in collaboration with Administrative Data Research (ADR) UK, summarises key studies on children’s experiences with social care, which have been generated through research using administrative data. It serves as a source of evidence for policymakers and practitioners working to support children. It also provides a rich example of the power of administrative data to enable critical research evidence that can improve lives.

Administrative data is information created when people interact with public services, such as schools, the NHS, the courts or the benefits system. By using de-identified data that represents the entire population over time, researchers can conduct large-scale studies more efficiently than ever before.

Administrative data is invaluable for policymakers. It provides representative, long-term insights into complex issues such as health, poverty, inequality, education, and wellbeing. These insights are crucial for developing effective policies. The data can also be segmented demographically and regionally, helping to understand the distribution and evolution of social issues.

Engaging with the public and understanding their concerns about data use is essential for maximising the benefits of this research. The report features projects across the UK offering powerful insights into children’s care experiences and service delivery patterns. These findings are already informing public and policy debates, leading to meaningful changes in the lives of children in care.

Findings 

As this diverse showcase of research studies demonstrates, care-experienced children and those born into care require a multi-pronged approach to receiving support that can truly enable them to flourish. 
Administrative data in this report tells us that:

• In Northern Ireland, inequality of entry into care is widening, with children from the most deprived areas were nine times more likely to enter care
• Over an 18-year period in Wales, there was a shift in use away from voluntary arrangements and towards court orders, with 63% of voluntary arrangements becoming compulsory within two years
• Kinship care in Scotland increased from 13% of care arrangements in 2006 to 34% in 2023. This arrangement has positives for children and young people but can be burdensome on carers and is not a panacea. Additionally, admin data reveals that while there are 4,000 such children in Scotland, an additional 9,000 are ‘informally’ (i.e. not care-registered) in this arrangement
• One in three care-experienced children in England have received a youth caution or conviction and custodial sentences are at least eight times more common among care-experienced children
• Increased contact with social services in childhood is correlated with an increased risk of suicide or early death, with admin data useful in linking to such longer-term outcomes, whether negative or positive. 

Researchers and policymakers alike know that poor outcomes are not inevitable with the right resources. Embedding administrative data into research and policy development will have real-world implications for care experienced children to ensure they all can thrive. 

Methodology 

The approach comprised two main components. Firstly, collaboration with ADR UK researchers to synthesize and summarize existing research on children, young people, and care experiences. The research was designed to represent all four UK nations and covered the entire care experience journey, from the period before care, through entry and lived experience, to outcomes after care. This comprehensive narrative was further enriched by desk research that examined national administrative datasets and published statistics, providing context and framing for the narrative. These statistics are presented as infographics throughout the report to enhance understanding.

The presented summary report was reviewed by contributing researchers, and received valuable input from representatives with lived care experience  from VOYPIC (Voice of Young People in Care) and the Drive Forward Foundation.