(2) what percentage of children in the care system are of ethnic minority origin;
(3) how many foster care placements there were in (a) Aylesbury Vale and (b) England in (i) 2000 and (ii) 2005.
Information on the number of respite care home placements available to disabled children is not collected centrally. The Department collects information on the number of children looked after under an agreed series of short term breaks (respite care) by type of placement. This information is shown in table 1. Information is not collected at district level so figures for Buckinghamshire have been included.
The percentage of children looked after during the year ending 31 March 2006 by ethnic origin is shown in table 2.
The number of foster placements that were made during 2000 and 2005 by English local authorities and those made by Buckinghamshire county council are shown in table 3. Information on the location of these foster placements and the number of foster placements in Aylesbury Vale is not collected centrally.
Numbers 20004 20055 England Buckinghamshire England Buckinghamshire All Children 12,800 90 11,700 35 Foster placements 6,400 30 5,000 10 Children’s homes6 5,600 55 5,900 25 Placed for adoption 10 0 0 0 Placement with parents 20 0 70 0 Other accommodation7 750 — 770 — 1 All children looked after under one or more agreed series of short term placements at any time during the year ending 31 March. 2 Placement relates to child’s latest episode of care during the year. 3 Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. 4 Figures are derived from the SSDA903 one-third sample survey. 5 Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which in 2004-05 covered all looked after children. 6 Includes secure units, homes, hostels and residential schools 7 Includes lodgings and other residential settings
Numbers and percentages 2006 All children1 83,900 100 White 64,700 77 Mixed 6,800 8 Asian or Asian British 3,100 4 Black or Black British 7,300 9 Other ethnic groups 1,900 2 1. Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. 2. Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return
Numbers All foster placement that occurred during the year 1999-20004, 5 2004-054, 6 England 92,200 86,700 Buckinghamshire 380 380 1 All foster placement that occurred during the year. 2 Children looked after who were placed with a foster carer and subsequently changed to another foster placement in the years ending 31 March 2000 and 2005 were counted more than once. 3 Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. 4 For the purpose of preserving confidentiality, national figures have been rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10. 5 Figures are derived from the SSDA903 return, which in 1999-2000 covered a third of children looked after. 6 Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which since 2003-04 covers all looked after children.