Children in Need in England 2025

Product Description

This annual release contains statistics on children in need in England and referrals to and assessments completed by children’s social care services. Each reporting year covers the year ending 31 March.

Children in need are a legally defined group of children (under the Children Act 1989), assessed as needing help and protection as a result of risks to their development or health. This group includes: those on child in need plans, those on child protection plans, children looked after by local authorities, care leavers and disabled children. Children in need also include children awaiting a referral to be considered, an assessment to start, or, for an assessment which has started, the assessment to be completed. Children in need also include young people aged 18 or over who continue to receive support from children’s services, and unborn children.

Comparisons within this release have been made between 2025 and a year earlier. In addition, to help assess any potential longer-term impacts of COVID-19 on children’s social care services, comparisons have also been made between the latest year and 2020, which (mostly) pre-dates the COVID-19 pandemic in England.

All 153 local authorities provided a return for the 2025 collection.