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Unique needs and experiences

Every child is different – and each has their own personality, needs and experiences. For some, however, life has not been easy.

What these children and young people have in common are life experiences that sometimes need some form of intervention from a wide range of services. Interventions come from local authorities, the Children's Hearings system or the law courts and may sometimes (but not always) lead to that child or young person becoming 'looked after' by their local authority.

As at July 31 2011, there were 16,171 children looked after by local authorities in Scotland – an increase of 2% since July 31 2010. The number of looked after children has increased every year since 2001, and is at its highest since 1981. (See Scottish Government Main statistics)

However, statistics do not reveal the complexity of why some children become looked after; nor do they reveal the family stresses and personal upset that arise when a child or young person becomes looked after.

Being looked after leads to many complex feelings and experiences. The section ‘How does it feel to be looked after?’ explains more.

The majority of looked after children and young people come into one of two categories:

  • Looked after at home, where the child or young person is subject to a Supervision Requirement (with no condition of residence) through the Children’s Hearing system. The child or young person continues to live in their normal place of residence (often the family home).
  • Looked after away from home (ie. their normal place of residence), where the child or young person is subject to a Supervision Requirement (with a condition of residence) through the Children’s Hearing system or a warrant from the Sheriff Court or Children’s Hearing System, is provided with accommodation under section 25 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 (voluntary agreement) or is the subject of a Permanence Order. The child or young person is cared for away from their normal place of residence (eg. in a foster care placement, residential/children’s unit, a residential school, a secure unit or a kinship placement).