Children in need: A focus on sexual abuse and exploitation
Reporting year 2025

Description

This guidance describes the data included in the 'Children in need: A focus on sexual abuse and exploitation' release's underlying data files. This is an ad hoc statistical release and uses the annual published data from:

- Children in need data collection (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need/2025), including a guide (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need/2025/data-guidance) to the 2025 data collected
- Outcomes for children in need (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/outcomes-for-children-in-need-including-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities-in-england/2024), including a guide (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/outcomes-for-children-in-need-including-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities-in-england/2024/data-guidance) to the latest 2024 data collected
- Children looked after data collection (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children), including a guide (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2025/data-guidance) to the 2025 data collected
- Serious incident notifications data collection (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-serious-incident-notifications), including a guide (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/serious-incident-notifications/2025/data-guidance) to the 2025 data collected
- Police recorded crime data (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tables)

The methodology (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/children-in-need-a-focus-on-sexual-abuse-and-exploitation) document for this subject should be referenced alongside this release. It provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality and how the analysis is produced.

Coverage

The analysis in this ad hoc release contains statistics based upon information from the data collections listed above. Each reporting year covers the year ending 31 March, and our analysis primarily looks at the time-period 2016 to 2025.

Data is collected by the Department for Education in the annual Children in need census (opens in new tab) (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need/2025) from all local authorities in England. Information on school characteristics data, including Special education needs (SEN) status and Free school meals (FSM), can be found in the data guidance (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/outcomes-for-children-in-need-including-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities-in-england/2024/data-guidance) for the ‘Outcomes for children in need’ publication. Information on the coverage of the SSDA903 collection can be found in the data guidance (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoptions/2024/data-guidance) for the ‘Children looked after in England’ publication. The police recorded crime data is sourced from the Children in need collection (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/children-in-need/2025), the police recorded crime and outcomes open data tables (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/police-recorded-crime-and-outcomes-open-data-tables), population estimates (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/populationestimates/datasets/populationestimatesforukenglandandwalesscotlandandnorthernireland) used for rates and the recent crime split at national level (https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables).

The data presented in this publication is derived by linking child-level identifiers from the data sets above, information includes:

- Factors recorded at assessment for each child, including those with child sexual abuse or exploitation
- Child and school characteristics
- Co-occurring factors and the average number of assessment factors per child
- Source of referrals and re-referral rate
- Child protection plans and initial category of abuse
- Longitudinal analysis looking at a child's journey through the social care system from 2017-18 to 2023-24, including children looked after
- Serious incident notifications, including characteristics and breakdowns for child sexual abuse and exploitation
- Police recorded crime data on contact child sexual abuse and exploitation

Users of the data should consider the following:

- During the period 2016 to 2025, new assessment factors were introduced into the social care system, while others were withdrawn. In the tables provided, an ‘x’ indicates the years in which an assessment factor was not available.
- Due to the disruption caused by the impact of COVID during the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years, caution should be taken when comparing data to previous years.
- Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals.
- Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals.
- Data for 2024 is unreliable for the Herefordshire local authority.
- Data for 2024 and 2025 is unreliable for the Merton local authority.
- Local authority reorganisations have taken place during the ten-year period this analysis covers, including:

  - from April 2019 the three local authorities ‘Dorset’, ‘Bournemouth’ and ‘Poole’ reorganised into  two local authorities ‘Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’ and ‘Dorset’. As part of this, a small number of children formerly looked after in the Christchurch area of Dorset were transferred to the new authority ‘Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole’
  - from April 2021 Northamptonshire split into two local authorities, ‘North Northamptonshire’ and ‘West Northamptonshire’
  - from April 2023 Cumbria split into two local authorities, ‘Westmorland and Furness’ and ‘Cumberland’
- The figures relating to serious incident notifications follows the data guidance (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/serious-incident-notifications/2025/data-guidance) from their annual publication.

File formats and conventions

Rounding and suppression

National and regional figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Local authority figures are unrounded.

Where any number is shown as zero, the original figure submitted was zero.

The following symbols have been used in the releases (to align with GSS standards):

- ‘c’ to protect confidentiality. Secondary suppression may be required
- ‘z’ data not applicable
- ‘x’ data not available
- ‘k’  used for a value that would round to zero but is not  zero, for example where a percentage is <0.5%
- ‘u’  low reliability

For percentages:

- to protect confidentiality some numbers are replaced by ‘c’
- they may not sum to 100% due to rounding
- they are rounded to whole numbers except in a few instances where they are to one or two decimal places to be consistent with related publications.

For averages:

- the averages, both mean and median, having been rounded to whole numbers or two decimal places depending on the source.

For rates:

- the re-referral rates represent the proportion of all referrals where the child had been referred within the previous 12 months, these are rounded to zero decimal places.
- police recorded crime rates per 1,000 children in the population are rounded to two decimal places.

Data files

Factors recorded at assessment, 2016 to 2025

Filename: a1_assessment_factors_2016_to_2025.csv
Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The number and proportion of children in need assessed with each factor at local authority, regional and national level.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
child_count        |  Number of children assessed with factor
child_percent      |  Percent of children assessed with factor
t_child_assessed   |  Total number of children assessed

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
3. Figures exclude the category 'no factors identified'.
4. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Factors recorded at assessment, no co-occurring factors, 2016 to 2025

Filename: a2_no_cooccurring_factors_2016_to_2025.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The number and proportion of children in need by assessment factor with no co-occurring assessment factors.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                         |  Variable description
------------------------------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor                     |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
child_count                           |  Number of children assessed with factor
child_count_no_cooccurring_factors    |  Number of children assessed with factor with no co-occurring factors
child_percent_no_cooccurring_factors  |  Percent of children assessed with factor with no co-occurring factors

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
3. Figures exclude the category 'no factors identified'.
4. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Co-occurring factors for children assessments, 2016 to 2025

Filename: a3_co_occurring_factors_2016_2025.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The number and proportion of children in need by assessment factor and their co-occurring assessment factors.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                   |  Variable description
------------------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor               |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
child_count                     |  Number of children assessed with factor
child_percent                   |  Percent of children assessed with factor
co_occurring_assessment_factor  |  Co-occurring factor also identified at assessment

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
3. Figures exclude the category 'no factors identified'.
4. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Median number of assessment factors, 2016 to 2025

Filename: a8_median_assessment_factors_2016_to_2025.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The mean and median average number of assessment factors for children in need.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name              |  Variable description
-------------------------  |  -------------------------------------------
mean_assessment_factors    |  Mean average number of assessment factors
median_assessment_factors  |  Median average number of assessment factors

Footnotes:

1. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.


Median number of assessment factors by assessment factor, 2016 to 2025

Filename: a9_individual_median_assessment_factors_2016_to_2025.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The mean and median average number of assessment factors by assessment factor for children in need.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name              |  Variable description
-------------------------  |  -------------------------------------------
assessment_factor          |  Assessment factor
mean_assessment_factors    |  Mean average number of assessment factors
median_assessment_factors  |  Median average number of assessment factors

Footnotes:

1. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Factors recorded at end of assessment, by child characteristics, 2016 to 2025

Filename: b1_factors_identified_at_end_of_assessment_by_characteristics.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The number and proportion of children in need by assessment factor and by the characteristics sex, age, ethnicity and disability.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor    |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
characteristic_type  |  Characteristic type
child_count          |  Number of children assessed with factor
child_percent        |  Percent of children assessed with factor

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
3. Figures exclude the category 'no factors identified'.
4. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


CSAE and parental mental health by LA and region

Filename: b2_csae_and_parental_mental_health_by_la_and_region.csv
Geographic levels: Local authority; National; Regional
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The number and proportion of children in need assessed as having been affected by CSA, CSE or mental health: concerns about parent as their assessment factor at local authority, regional and national level.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
n_child_af         |  Number of children assessed with factor
n_child_assessed   |  Total number of children with an assessment
pt_child_af        |  Percent of children assessed with assessment factor

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Includes children assessed with any of the following factors: 11A - Child Sexual Exploitation, 19A - Sexual Abuse, 19B - Sexual Abuse: child on child, 19C: Sexual Abuse: adult on child.
3. Children may have been assessed with more than one of these factors; each child is counted once for each year they were assessed in.
4. LAs excluded are Isles of Scilly and City of London.
5. Data for 2024 is not available for Hampshire and Herefordshire local authorities; data for 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority.
6. Data for 2024 and 2025 is unreliable for the Merton local authority. This data has been included in the totals at regional level but excluded from local authority breakdowns.
7. For local authority level breakdowns, only the highest and lowest values have been labelled.


Factors recorded at end of assessment, by FSM eligibility, 2018 to 2024

Filename: b3_factors_identified_at_end_of_assessment_by_fsm.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018 to 2024
Content summary: The number and proportion of children who are eligible for free school meals by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
n_fsm_eligible     |  Number of children eligible for free school meals
pt_fsm_eligible    |  Percent of children eligible for free school meals

Footnotes:

1. Free school meal (FSM) eligibility is taken from both the school census and the alternative provision census. More detailed information on the FSM data published within this release is available in the Outcomes for children in need, including children looked after by local authorities in England methodology (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/outcomes-for-children-in-need-including-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities-in-england-methodology).
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Factors recorded at end of assessment, by SEN status, 2018 to 2024

Filename: b4_factors_identified_at_end_of_assessment_by_sen.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018 to 2024
Content summary: The number and proportion of children with SEN provision by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
child_count        |  Number of children
child_percent      |  Percent of children
sen_provision      |  Special educational need provision

Footnotes:

1. Special educational needs (SEN) status and primary type of SEN data is taken from both the school census and the alternative provision census. More detailed information on the SEN data published within this release is available in the Outcomes for children in need, including children looked after by local authorities in England methodology (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/outcomes-for-children-in-need-including-children-looked-after-by-local-authorities-in-england-methodology).
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Factors recorded at assessment, suspensions and exclusions, 2018 to 2023

Filename: b5_factors_identified_at_end_of_assessment_exclusions_suspensions.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018 to 2023
Content summary: The number and proportion of children with one or more suspensions or are permanently excluded by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
n_one_plus_sus     |  Number of children with one or more suspensions
n_perm_excl        |  Number of children permanently excluded
pt_one_plus_sus    |  Percent of children with one or more suspensions
pt_perm_excl       |  Percent of children permanently excluded

Footnotes:

1. While suspensions and permanent exclusions were possible throughout the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years, national restrictions will have had an impact on the numbers presented and caution should be taken when comparing across years.
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Factors recorded at the end of assessment, persistent absence, 2018 to 2024

Filename: b6_factors_identified_at_end_of_assessment_absence.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018 to 2024
Content summary: The number and proportion of children who are persistently absent from school by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name           |  Variable description
----------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor       |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
n_persistently_absent   |  Number of children who were persistently absent from school
pt_persistently_absent  |  Percent of children who were persistently absent from school

Footnotes:

1. Due to the disruption caused by the impact of COVID during the 2020/21 and 2021/22 academic years, caution should be taken when comparing data to previous years. No absence data relating to the full 2019/20 academic year is available.
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Children starting protection plans, by initial categories of abuse, 2016 to 2025

Filename: c1_child_protection_plans_initial_categories_of_abuse.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The number and proportion of children starting child protection plans and those assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE, including their initial category of abuse.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name           |  Variable description
----------------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------------
child_count             |  Number of children on protection plan
child_percent           |  Percent of children on protection plan
cpp_group               |  Children on protection plans by factor identified at assessment
initial_category_abuse  |  Initial category of abuse

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
3. 'Multiple' refers to instances where there is more than one main category of abuse. Children included in this category are not included in any other category of abuse, therefore a child is counted only once in this measure.
4. For children who had multiple CPPs during the year, the initial category of abuse in their first CPP was used.


Median number of assessment factors for children starting protection plans, 2016 to 2025

Filename: c2_median_factors_per_initial_category_of_abuse.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The median number of assessment factors for those children starting child protection plans for children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE by initial category of abuse.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name           |  Variable description
----------------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------------
cpp_group               |  Children on protection plans by factor identified at assessment
initial_category_abuse  |  Initial category of abuse
median_number_factors   |  Median number of assessment factors recorded

Footnotes:

1. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
2. 'Multiple' refers to instances where there is more than one main category of abuse. Children included in this category are not included in any other category of abuse, therefore a child is counted only once in this measure.


Children starting child protection plans, 1994-2025

Filename: c5_initial_category_of_abuse_94_24.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 1994 to 2025
Content summary: The number of child protection plans starting during the year by initial category of abuse.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ---------------
cpp_start          |  Total children
emotional_initial  |  Emotional abuse
multiple_initial   |  Multiple
neglect_initial    |  Neglect
physical_initial   |  Physical abuse
sexual_initial     |  Sexual abuse

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
3. 'Multiple' refers to instances where there is more than one main category of abuse. Children included in this category are not included in any other category of abuse, therefore a child is counted only once in this measure.


Children assessed with sexual abuse or exploitation starting CPPs, 2016 to 2025

Filename: c6_child_protection_plan_starts.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The number of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE, and the number and proportion that started a child protection plan.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name    |  Variable description
---------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
category         |  Factor identified at assessment
n_assessed       |  Number of children who were assessed
n_starting_cpp   |  Number of children who started a child protection plan following assessment
pt_starting_cpp  |  Percent of children assessed who started a child protection plan

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.


Children recorded with each assessment factor, by referral source, 2016 to 2025

Filename: d1_referrals_by_source_by_assessment_factor.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The number and proportion of referrals by assessment factor and referral source.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment - Filter by assessment factor
referral_count     |  Number of referrals
referral_percent   |  Percent of referrals
referral_source    |  Source of referral

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Data for the years ending 31 March 2021 and 2022 is not available for Hackney local authority, therefore 2020 data for Hackney has been included in the 2021 and 2022 national totals and regional totals. Data for the year ending 31 March 2024 is not available for Hampshire local authority, therefore 2023 data for Hampshire has been included in the 2024 national and regional totals. Refer to the methodology page for more information.
3. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


CSAE children assessed in 2017/18 who became looked after in the 6 years to 31 March 2024, by characteristics

Filename: e1_cla_6_years_characteristics.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018
Content summary: The number and proportion of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment, by characteristics including legal status, placement and category of need.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
characteristic       |  Characteristic
characteristic_type  |  Characteristic type
child_count          |  Number of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
child_percent        |  Percent of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
cla_group            |  Factor identified at assessment for children looked after

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. This analysis includes children assessed between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018​ who entered care anytime following their assessment up to 31st March 2024 (including the day of their assessment). Any children with more than one assessment are deduplicated so only their latest assessment is included​. Any children with more than one period of care in the six years are excluded and if a child has more than one value for a characteristic (e.g. legal status), only their latest characteristic value is included.


CSAE children assessed in 2017/18 who became looked after in the 6 years to 31 March 2024, by placement moves

Filename: e2_cla_placement_moves_during_6_years.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment, by placement moves.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name    |  Variable description
---------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
child_count      |  Number of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
child_percent    |  Percent of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
cla_group        |  Factor identified at assessment for children looked after
placement_moves  |  Characteristic


CSAE children assessed in 2017/18 who became looked after in the 6 years to 31 March 2024, by reason episode ceased

Filename: e3_cla_ceased_during_6_years.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment, by characteristic type.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name        |  Variable description
-------------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
characteristic_type  |  Characteristic type
child_count          |  Number of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
child_percent        |  Percent of children who were looked after at some point in the six years after their 2017/18 assessment
cla_group            |  Factor identified at assessment for children looked after

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. This analysis includes children assessed between 1st April 2017 and 31st March 2018​ who entered care anytime following their assessment up to 31st March 2024 (including the day of their assessment). Any children with more than one assessment are deduplicated so only their latest assessment is included​. Any children with more than one period of care in the six years are excluded and if a child has more than one value for a characteristic (e.g. legal status), only their latest characteristic value is included.


Referral type for children assessed with sexual abuse and exploitation, 2017 to 2023

Filename: f1_referral_type_csa_cse_2017_to_2023.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2017 to 2023
Content summary: The number and proportion of CSA and CSE referrals by referral type.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
n_referrals        |  Number of referrals
pt_referrals       |  Percent of referrals
referral_type      |  Type of referral

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .


Re-referral rate by assessment factor, 2023

Filename: f2_re_referral_rates_by_assessment_factor_2023.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2023
Content summary: The number of referrals, number of re-referrals and the re-referral rate by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
n_re_referrals     |  Number of re-referrals
n_referrals        |  Number of referrals
re_referral_rate   |  Re-referral rate

Footnotes:

1. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Children assessed in 2023/24 who had a no further action referral in the previous 6 years, by assessment factor

Filename: g1_nfa_previous_6_years_by_assessment_factor.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2024
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a no further action referral in the previous 6 years, by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
child_percent      |  Percentage of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a no further action referral in the previous 6 years
nfa_child_count    |  Number of children who had a no further action referral in the previous 6 years
total_child_count  |  Number of children identified with the assessment factor in 2023/24

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. This analysis includes children assessed between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024 who had a referral to social services in the previous six years which resulted in no further action. Any children with more than one assessment between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024 are deduplicated so only their latest assessment is included​.
3. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Children assessed in 2023/24 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous 6 years, by assessment factor

Filename: g3_s47_previous_6_years_by_assessment_factor.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2024
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous 6 years, by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
child_percent      |  Percentage of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous 6 years
s47_child_count    |  Number of children assessed in 2023/24 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous 6 years
total_child_count  |  Number of children identified with the assessment factor in 2023/24

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. This analysis includes children assessed between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024 who had a Section 47 enquiry in the previous six years. Any children with more than one assessment between 1st April 2023 and 31st March 2024 are deduplicated so only their latest assessment is included​.
3. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Total CSAE notifications

Filename: sin_csae_2020_2025.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2020 to 2025
Content summary: The number of serious incident notifications for child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation by year.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name         |  Variable description
--------------------  |  --------------------------------------------------
characteristic        |  Characteristic recorded - Filter by characteristic
number_notifications  |  Number of serious incident notifications


Characteristics of CSAE notifications

Filename: sin_csae_characteristics_2020_2025.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2025
Content summary: The number of serious incident notifications for child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation by characteristics, social care group and placement type.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name         |  Variable description
--------------------  |  --------------------------------------------------
breakdown             |  Subgroup
characteristic        |  Characteristic recorded - Filter by characteristic
number_notifications  |  Number of serious incident notifications
time_coverage         |  Time coverage - Filter by time coverage

Footnotes:

1. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c' therefore, excluded from charts.


National csae crime rates

Filename: h1_police_force_data_crime_rates_csae_rates.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2016 to 2025
Content summary: The rate of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE, along with both the police recorded crime rate and the police recorded recent crime rate for contact child sexual abuse.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
crime_rate         |  Police recorded crime rate for contact child sexual abuse
csae_rate          |  Rate of children identified with either sexual abuse or exploitation at assessment
recent_crime_rate  |  Police recorded recent crime rate for contact child sexual abuse

Footnotes:

1. The following Home Office offence codes were used in defining contact CSA: 17B: Sexual assault on a male child under 13, 19D: Rape of a female child under 16, 19E: Rape of a female child under 13, 19G: Rape of a male child under 16, 19H: Rape of a male child under 13, 20B: Sexual assault on a female child under 13, 21: Sexual activity involving a child under 13, 22B: Sexual activity involving a child under 16, 71: Abuse of children through sexual exploitation (formerly prostitution or pornography, 73: Abuse of position of trust of a sexual nature, 88A: Sexual grooming.
2. Total crime rates include all crimes reported in that financial year. Recent crime rates include only crimes that were reported in that financial year, less than a year after they occurred.


Contact child sexual abuse: non-recent crime rates

Filename: h2_non_recent_contact_csa_offences.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2017 to 2025
Content summary: The proportion of contact child sexual abuse crimes which are not recent, by year.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                       |  Variable description
----------------------------------  |  -----------------------------------------------------------------
pt_non_recent_contact_csa_offences  |  Percent of contact child sexual abuse crimes which are non-recent

Footnotes:

1. The following Home Office offence codes were used in defining contact CSA: 17B: Sexual assault on a male child under 13, 19D: Rape of a female child under 16, 19E: Rape of a female child under 13, 19G: Rape of a male child under 16, 19H: Rape of a male child under 13, 20B: Sexual assault on a female child under 13, 21: Sexual activity involving a child under 13, 22B: Sexual activity involving a child under 16, 71: Abuse of children through sexual exploitation (formerly prostitution or pornography, 73: Abuse of position of trust of a sexual nature, 88A: Sexual grooming.


Police crime data by police force area 2025

Filename: h3_police_force_data_crime_rates_csae_rates_by_police_force_area.csv
Geographic levels: Police force area
Time period: 2025
Content summary: Police force data on rate of children assessed as having been affected by CSA or CSE and the police recorded crime rate for contact child sexual abuse, by police force area.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name                 |  Variable description
----------------------------  |  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
csae_rate                     |  Rate of children identified with either sexual abuse or exploitation at assessment
total_contact_csa_crime_rate  |  Police recorded crime rate for contact child sexual abuse

Footnotes:

1. The following Home Office offence codes were used in defining contact CSA: 17B: Sexual assault on a male child under 13, 19D: Rape of a female child under 16, 19E: Rape of a female child under 13, 19G: Rape of a male child under 16, 19H: Rape of a male child under 13, 20B: Sexual assault on a female child under 13, 21: Sexual activity involving a child under 13, 22B: Sexual activity involving a child under 16, 71: Abuse of children through sexual exploitation (formerly prostitution or pornography, 73: Abuse of position of trust of a sexual nature, 88A: Sexual grooming.


Children assessed in 2017-18 and their highest level of intervention in the next 6 years, by assessment factor

Filename: i1_child_journeys_highest_involvement_6_years.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed in 2017-18 and their highest level of social care intervention in the next six years, by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
child_count        |  Number of children who had this intervention type as their highest level of involvement in the six years after their 2017-18 assessment
child_percent      |  Percentage of children who had this intervention type as their highest level of involvement in the six years after their 2017-18 assessment
CSC_group          |  Intervention type

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Children assessed in 2017-18 and their interventions in the next 6 years, by assessment factor

Filename: i2_child_journeys_6_years.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed in 2017-18 who ever received a type of social care intervention in the next six years, by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
child_count        |  Number of children who ever received this intervention type in the six years after their 2017-18 assessment
child_percent      |  Percentage of children who ever received this intervention type in the six years after their 2017-18 assessment
CSC_group          |  Intervention type

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Children assessed in 2023-24 and their highest level of intervention following assessment, by assessment factor

Filename: i3_child_journeys_highest_involvement_2024.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2024
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023-24 and their highest level of social care intervention, by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
child_count        |  Number of children who had this intervention type as their highest level of involvement in the year following their 2023-24 assessment
child_percent      |  Percentage of children who had this intervention type as their highest level of involvement in the year following their 2023-24 assessment
CSC_group          |  Intervention type

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Children assessed in 2023-24 and their interventions following assessment, by assessment factor

Filename: i4_child_journeys_2024.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2024
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023-24 who ever received a type of social care intervention, by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
child_count        |  Number of children who ever received this intervention type in the year following their 2023-24 assessment
child_percent      |  Percentage of children who ever received this intervention type in the year following their 2023-24 assessment
CSC_group          |  Intervention type

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Children assessed in 2017-18 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP in the next 6 years, by assessment factor

Filename: i5_S47_ICPC_CPP_conversions_6_years.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed in 2017-18 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP in the next six years, by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
intervention       |  Intervention type
referral_count     |  Number of referrals
referral_percent   |  Percentage of referrals

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.


Children assessed in 2017-18 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP within the year, by assessment factor

Filename: i6_S47_ICPC_CPP_conversions_2018.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2018
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed in 2017-18 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP within the year, by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
intervention       |  Intervention type
referral_count     |  Number of referrals
referral_percent   |  Percentage of referrals

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
3. Children whose assessment took place in March 2018 are excluded due to not having enough of a follow-up period to observe events occurring after assessment.


Children assessed in 2023-24 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP within the year, by assessment factor

Filename: i7_S47_ICPC_CPP_conversions_2024.csv
Geographic levels: National
Time period: 2024
Content summary: The number and proportion of children assessed in 2023-24 who had a Section 47 enquiry, ICPC or CPP within the year, by assessment factor.

Variable names and descriptions for this file are provided below:

Variable name      |  Variable description
-----------------  |  -------------------------------
assessment_factor  |  Factor identified at assessment
intervention       |  Intervention type
referral_count     |  Number of referrals
referral_percent   |  Percentage of referrals

Footnotes:

1. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. Percentages rounded to the nearest whole number. Figures in some tables may be suppressed, denoted by a 'c', percentages <0.5% are denoted by a 'k' .
2. Children assessed with being unaccompanied asylum seeking children have been excluded from the breakdown but are included in the underlying totals.
3. Children whose assessment took place in March 2023 are excluded due to not having enough of a follow-up period to observe events occurring after assessment.
