If you are worried about a child contact
Children First Contact Service 020 8770 6001 or cfcs@sutton.gov.uk
If out of hours call the Emergency Duty Team 020 8770 5000
If you are worried about a child contact Children First Contact Service 020 8770 6001 or cfcs@sutton.gov.uk. If out of hours call the Emergency Duty Team 020 8770 5000
Compass Fostering have produced 40+ Key Statistics regarding foster care in the U.K.
Foster care exists to provide those who don’t or can’t live with their parents with a safe, stable, and supportive environment which helps them to flourish. Growing up in this kind of nurturing environment can have a significant positive impact.
A landmark study has found that one in four teenagers with experience of foster, residential, or kinship care have attempted suicide, making them four times more likely to do so than peers with no care experience. The research, based on data from 19,000 UK children born between 2000 and 2002, also found higher rates of self-harm, depression, and teenage pregnancy among care-experienced adolescents. Experts have called the findings a "national emergency," urging sustained, family-focused support throughout a young person's life to address these stark mental health inequalities. The Department for Education described the results as "deeply troubling."
The Guardian
Source: UK Covid-19 Inquiry
Date published: 15 September 2025
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry team has published a report looking at how the coronavirus pandemic impacted children and young people. The Inquiry heard from 600 9- to 22-year-olds about their experiences of living through the pandemic. Key findings highlight: the loss of school as a potential source of support and respite; tensions at home meant that for some, home was not a safe or supportive place; children and young people receiving support from children’s social care felt that there were changes to the quality and timeliness of support; and feelings of fear and anxiety about the risk of catching Covid-19, especially amongst children with physical disabilities and those with health conditions.
Read the news story: “Life changed so quickly”: Major new research reveals pandemic’s profound impact on children and young people as Inquiry prepares for Module 8 hearings
Read the report: Children and young people’s voices project: full report
Source: HM Treasury
Date published: 11 June 2025
The UK Government has published a policy paper setting out its spending plans for the next five years. In relation to children and families, key commitments include: investing £555 million in children’s social care over three years to promote earlier intervention and help more children stay with their families; providing £560 million between 2026/27 and 2029/30 to refurbish and expand children’s homes and foster care placements; expanding mental health support teams to all schools in England by 2029/30; expanding free school meals in England to all children with a parent receiving universal credit; and reforming the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) system to improve pupil outcomes.
Read the paper: Spending review 2025
Source: DfE
Date published: 9 June 2025
The Department for Education (DfE) has published a report summarising learning from the delivery of the final year of the Supporting families programme in England. Supporting families ran from April 2012 to March 2025. The programme promoted a whole family approach to helping families with multiple needs. Data collected from English local authorities for 2024/25 reveals that: in 2024/25, 104,761 families were supported to achieve a successful family outcome; Supporting families achieved a total of 858,179 successful family outcomes between 2012-2025; and the programme delivered research and evaluation into early help, and supported local system transformation and improvements to local data systems.
Download the report: Supporting Families programme: annual report 2024 to 2025
