Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has forecast the number of children in need requiring support from children's services in each of the next five years.

​The Department for Education does not publish forecasts of future demand for children’s social care. Comprehensive data on past trends in the numbers and characteristics of children in need are published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-children-in-need#history.

In preparation for the Spending Review, to help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence, the government is working with the sector to develop a sharper and more granular picture of future demand for children’s services

And, as set out in the Manifesto, the government is committed to undertaking a review of the care system that covers the key issues facing vulnerable children and young people.