Children and Families Department Publishes First Statistical Release

The Children and Families Department of the Velocity Interoperability Network today published its first statistical release. The release records the position at establishment on 6 September 2026 and the activity transferred to the Department during the transition period from 10 August to 5 September 2026.

At establishment, 11,240 children under the age of eighteen are registered as resident in the Network, of whom 3,780 are under the age of five. Forty-six early years providers are entered on the register, offering 2,414 places. Ninety-six foster carers are approved, and 61 children are in the care of the Department. Twenty-three households are in assessment as prospective adopters or foster carers, and 512 family support cases are open.

During the transition period, 218 safeguarding concerns were recorded, 96 assessments of a child's needs were completed, 9 adoption orders were made and 1,844 early years places were taken up. The figures for the transition period were compiled by member organisations under interim arrangements and are published as they were received; they are not directly comparable with the figures the Department will publish for later periods.

The Department will publish statistics quarterly. The next release, covering the quarter ending 30 September 2026, will be published in October 2026. The full release is set out on the Statistics page of this site.