Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of looked after children who have died whilst living in (a) regulated and (b) unregulated care placements in the last 10 years.

Every death of a child or young person is a tragedy, and the following information is sensitive in nature. Figures for the number of deaths of children looked after in regulated and unregulated accommodation by age in the last ten years are shown below.

Number of deaths of children looked after[1] whilst living in regulated or unregulated[2],[3] accommodation by age group[4], for the ten-year period 1 April 2012 - 31 March 2022[5]

Coverage: England

[1] Figures exclude children looked after under a series of short-term placements.

[2] Regulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Foster placements, Secure Children’s Homes, Children’s Homes subject to Children’s Homes Regulations, residential care home, National Health Service (NHS)/health trust or other establishment providing medical or nursing care, Young Offender Institution (YOI), and all residential schools. Unregulated accommodation includes children in the following placement types: Independent living or placements in semi-independent accommodation not subject to children’s home regulations.

[3] Excludes the following placement types which do not fall into either the regulated or unregulated category: placed for adoption, placed with own parent(s) or other person(s) with parental responsibility, residential employment, family centre or mother and baby unit, other placement.

[4] Age is as at the date the episode of care ceased.

[5] Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not add up due to rounding.