Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on how many occasions in the last 12 months has a local authority in England provided Section 20 accommodation for a child under the age of 16 without the consent of an individual with parental responsibility.

The information requested is not held centrally. While the department collects data on the number of children accommodated by local authorities under Section 20, we do not collect data on parental consent given as part of that arrangement.

The latest figures show that there were 5,460 children aged under 16 who were looked after in care at 31 March 2023 under a Section 20 voluntary agreement.

Figures on the overall number of children looked after placed in care under a voluntary agreement were published in the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoptions: 2023’. This can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/fast-track/7e318fb5-8949-47d1-9f84-08dba4b954ad. Figures showing numbers at 31 March 2024 will be published on 14 November 2024.