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<p>We monitor the number of children entering the care system on an ongoing basis
and information showing the change in the number of children entering the care system
in the last five years is provided in the table below:</p><p><strong>Children who
started to be looked after<sup>1,2,3 </sup>and children who were taken into care during
the year<sup>4</sup> ending 31 March 2013 to 2017</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>
</p></td><td><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Children
who started to be looked after</p></td><td><p>28,980</p></td><td><p>30,730</p></td><td><p>31,360</p></td><td><p>32,160</p></td><td><p>32,810</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Of
which children who were taken into care<sup>4</sup></p></td><td><p>11,150</p></td><td><p>10,950</p></td><td><p>10,840</p></td><td><p>11,810</p></td><td><p>14,490</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Source:
SSDA903</p><ol><li>Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.</li><li>Only the first
occasion on which a child started to be looked after in the year has been counted.</li><li>Figures
exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements, but
include children who were previously looked after under and agreed series of short
term placements but have changed to become looked after under a different legal status
(e.g. care order) in the year.</li><li>A child starts to be looked after when they
are provided with local authority accommodation. Of these, a child is deemed to have
been ‘taken into care’ if they start to be looked after under an interim or full care
order, or if they are detained for child protection under a police protection order,
emergency protection order or child assessment order.</li></ol><p> </p><p> </p><p>Further
breakdowns of children who started to be looked after can be found in Tables C1 and
C2 of the statistical first release Children Looked After in England including Adoption:
2016 to 2017 at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017</a>.</p><p>
</p><p>We want the very best for all children, including those who come into contact
with the children’s social care system and we set out our vision for delivering excellent
children’s social care in ‘Putting Children First’. This outlines our reform programme
which seeks to: improve the quality of social work practice; create systems and environments
where great social work can flourish; promote learning and multi-agency working where
all involved in supporting children and families can work together; and support children
who both enter and leave the care system. The reforms are designed to ensure that
all vulnerable children and families receive the highest-quality care and support
and that only those children who need to be are removed from their families and only
then as a last resort. We have invested over £200 million through the Innovation Programme
to test and develop better practice, including testing approaches to help vulnerable
children to remain safely at home.</p><p> </p>
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