UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has highlighted the importance of linking children’s care system data from across the UK, pointing to the findings of a new report by Administrative Data Research UK (ADR UK) and the National Centre for Social Research.
Titled Exploring the Lives of Care Experienced Children and Young People, shows that people who had been in the care system in England as children had a 62% higher risk of dying before the age of 75 compared with those who had not.
It also reveals they were over four times more likely to have a conviction or police caution and were less than a third as likely to achieve a grade 4 or more in English and maths.
UKRI – the non-departmental public body that supports research – said the report shows the value of linking data from different parts of government.
The report’s findings were generated from five research studies, which each used de-identified data made available by ADR UK, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
ADR UK links data from different parts of government and opens it up securely for researchers to produce data driven insights help to fill gaps in evidence, identify where more support is needed and pinpoint examples of success, such as improved placement stability in England.
UKRI said that previous efforts to improve the system, despite widespread acknowledgement of its challenges, were hampered by a lack of joined up information from across agencies and regions. The new findings will enable professionals to develop new approaches to children’s social care.
Value and versatility
Rosie French, ADR UK Deputy Director, said: “This important collection of research demonstrates the value and versatility of administrative data in identifying the challenges faced by young people who enter the care system. The studies provide robust empirical evidence of pathways into care, care experience, and life beyond care.
“As a society, we must ensure we have the conditions in place for every child to have the opportunity to flourish, including those in the care of the state.”
Other findings include that: children living in the 10% most deprived Northern Irish postcodes in 2020 were nine times more likely to enter care than those from more affluent areas; Scotland is the only region to have seen a drop in the rate of children entering care between 2013 and 2023; and 63% of voluntary care arrangements in Wales became compulsory within two years, with care proceedings often initiated within four weeks.
