Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many children living in social care died by suicide in each year since 2010.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Figures on looked after children who died in each year can be found in Table D1 of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017 but the cause of each death is not collected.

The number of reviews of child deaths with a category of ‘suicide or deliberate self-inflicted harm’ for the year ending 31 March 2017 is given in Table 4 of the statistical release ‘Child death reviews: year ending 31 March 2017’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-death-reviews-year-ending-31-march-2017 but this is not limited to looked after children.

We recognise that this is a very serious issue, and we are piloting new approaches to the assessment of mental health needs that looked-after children receive on entry to care – ensuring that their individual needs are understood and at the centre of the process. Up to 10 sites across the country will benefit from a share of £650,000 to deliver this scheme. The expression of interest for pilots went live 24 September and the deadline for applications is set for noon 19 October. We welcome the appointment of Jackie Doyle Price as suicide prevention minister.