ADR UK and NatCen publish new report: Insights into care experiences across the UK

A new report by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), produced in collaboration with ADR UK, explores the experiences of children and young people in social care across the four UK nations. 

Drawing from five research studies, the report provides the first comprehensive look at care experiences across the UK, examining inequalities, regional variations, changing care practices, and long-term outcomes.

Key findings

• Entry into care: In Northern Ireland, children from the most deprived areas were significantly more likely to enter care compared to those from the least deprived areas, with disparities doubling between 2010 and 2020.
• Care journeys: In Wales, 63% of voluntary care arrangements became compulsory within two years, with care proceedings often initiated within four weeks. In Scotland, kinship care is now the most common arrangement, but children in kinship care face challenges with school attendance, exclusions, and qualifications.
• Long-term outcomes: In England, 25% of care-experienced children were not in employment or education eight years after leaving school, compared to 4% of all school leavers. In Northern Ireland, young adults with a history of care faced nearly nine times the risk of death by suicide compared to those with no social services contact.

Implications for policy and practice

The report demonstrates the power of administrative data in highlighting systemic issues and informing policy decisions, to improve the outcomes of care experienced children and young people across the UK.

"This vital report showcases the transformative potential of administrative data in generating critical insights to improve the lives of care-experienced children and young people.

It highlights why policymakers should demand more from their evidence base—using data to pinpoint system shortfalls, assess long-term service impacts, and identify successful practices."

- Sarah Cheesbrough, Director of Policy Research Centre at the National Centre for Social Research

“By linking data from different parts of government, and opening up secure access to the de-identified, population-level linked datasets, ADR UK is creating unprecedented opportunities for researchers to advance our knowledge. For the first time, we can look across systems and services using datasets where every child is counted.

The studies included in this report published today, 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.”

- Professor Karen Broadhurst of Lancaster University

Read the reportView an infographic of the findings