Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children are (a) in care and (b) subject to a deprivation of liberty Order as of 6 September 2022.
The department does not collect information on the number or characteristics of children subject to a Deprivation of Liberty Order.
However, the President of the Family Division has established a national Deprivation of Liberty Court, which is to be supported by the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. This aims to improve our understanding of the cases that are being heard by the Court, and to understand more about what can be done to better meet the needs of the children involved. More information is available at: https://www.nuffieldfjo.org.uk/news/nuffield-family-justice-observatory-to-monitor-data-from-new-national-dols-deprivation-of-liberty-court.
The latest information on the number of children looked after is available in the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England’ available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions.