Table 2 Secure care accommodation usage during the year, 2014-2024 [Note 1]

 [Note 1] Children can be admitted and discharged more than once during the year.

Resident characteristics and length of stay

On 31 July 2024, there were 54 residents in secure care accommodation. This continues the downward trend seen since 2019 and the lowest number of residents at year end since recording began in 2010. Of these, 39 (72%) were male and 15 (28%) were female. Just over half of residents were aged 16 or over (52%); 15-year-old residents made up a further third (33%) of all residents. A total of 37% of residents had a recorded disability. Of the 54 residents in secure care accommodation on 31 July 2024, over half had a length of stay of less than 6 months, 19% of residents had a stay of between 6 months to under 1 year and a further 6% stayed for a year or more.

Table 3 Children in secure care accommodation by sex, age, disability, and length of stay on 31 July 2014-2024 [Note 1], [Note 2]

 [Note 1] For cells shown as " - ", figures are not available. Cells containing " * " represent small numbers that are suppressed to maintain confidentiality. Other cells may be suppressed to avoid calculation of other suppressed values.

[Note 2] Since 2016, the binary question was asked: “does the young person have a mental or physical impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities?”. Prior to 2016,  additional support needs categories were asked for.

Placement prior to admission

In 2023-24, 40% of children admitted to secure care had a prior placement in a residential school. 30% had a prior placement with relatives, friends or in the parental home. A further 21% were from foster care or a children’s home (Table 4). 

This pattern has varied over time. The previous year, 34% of children had a prior placement in a residential school, 14% had a prior placement with relatives friends or in the parental home, and 30% were from foster care or a children’s home.

Table 4 Number of children admitted to secure care during the year by sex and placement prior to admission, 2023-24 [Note 1]

 [Note 1] Children can be admitted more than once during the year.

[Note 2] Where Male or Female sex was not specified these children have been included in the total.

[Note 3] 'Other' placement prior to admission may include supported accommodation, independent living, hospital, assessment centre and close support.

Destination on discharge

A total of 150 children were discharged from secure care during 2023-24. Of these the most common destination after discharge was to a residential school (35%), or to a parental home, relatives or friends (25%). A further 15% were discharged to foster care or a children’s home (Table 5).

Table 5 Number of children discharged from secure care during the year by sex and destination on discharge 2023-2024 [Note 1], [Note 2]

[Note 1] Placement immediately after discharge during the year. Children can be discharged more than once during the year.

[Note 2] ‘Other’ placement after discharge includes supported accommodation, independent living, hospital, assessment centre or close support.

Medical care during stay

A total of 144 (96%) children received medical care during their stay (Table 6). Common types of medical care were: general physical health care or treatment (94%), general health discussions or advice (93%) and care or treatment to assist mental well-being (91%). Further to this, 87% received dental treatment or check-ups and 75% of children received sexual health care during their stay. These proportions are broadly in line with figures reported for the previous year, with the largest differences being for dental treatment (82% in 2022-23) and sexual health care (86% in 2022-23).

Table 6 Number and percentage of children discharged from secure care who received medical care during their stay, 2022-24 [Note 1]

 [Note 1] Children can be discharged more than once during the year.                                     

Cross UK Comparisons

Secure Care Accommodation data for Scotland, England, and Wales can be found below (Table 7).  Please note that Scotland totals include children who are from elsewhere in the UK. Similarly, the totals for England and Wales may include some children from other parts of the UK.

Table 7 Cross UK comparisons of number of secure care accommodation services, places approved, and children accommodated, 31 March 2014-2024 [Note 1], [Note 2], [Note 3], [Note 4], [Note 5], [Note 6], [Note 7]

 [Note 1] Please note that the legal routes into secure care can vary between the UK countries.

[Note 2] Source for England and Wales available from Statistics: secure children’s homes.

[Note 3] For Northern Ireland, official/national statistics are not produced on secure care accommodation.

[Note 4] The figures from outside Scotland include children placed on welfare grounds only.

[Note 5] Scotland total includes a number of children from the rest of the UK, so trends in each country based on the children's origin may be different.

[Note 6] To allow for comparison with England and Wales, Scotland's data within this table is at 31 March for all years with the exception of 2020 for which it is at 29 February.