Kinship care - the data

• There are no published figures for rates of kinship care.
  
• Placements with relatives are made on a variety of legal bases - so figures are difficult to obtain even through research.
  
• Within the placement codes on the Department of Health returns for looked after children there is a kinship care code - this can be used by an authority to calculate the numbers of looked after children placed with relatives.
  
• The Choice Protects website www.doh.gov.uk/choiceprotects/publications.htm, has a paper on family and kinship care at: www.doh.gov.uk/choiceprotects/friends-family-paper-1nov02.pdf.
• Department of Health statistics for England show
  
  • 6,600 children were looked after in foster placements with family or friends at 31 March 2001 (this is a 'snapshot' of that particular day);
    
  • As a percentage of the total number of children in foster care, this has increased slowly over recent years from 14.1 per cent in 1996 to 17.1 in 2000; and
    
  • In terms of numbers from 4,800 in 1996 to 6,600 in 2013.
    
• However, this masks significant differences between local authorities. A study currently being carried out with four local authorities showed that in one month, those four local authorities had 14 per cent, 19 per cent, 26 per cent, and 41 per cent of their placements made to friends and family care.