Latest children in need statistics for England

This week saw the publication of the latest statistics on children in need and children subject to child protection plans in England. The report – Characteristics of Children in Need in England, 2012-13 – provides information on referrals and assessments carried out by children’s social care services, on children who are assessed as being  in need, and on children who were the subject of a child protection plan.These are important statistics. They provide an indication of the way children’s services’ workload is developing, and raise key questions about what is going on, across the system. They are also used by