National Children's Bureau (NCB) · 2024
This large-scale secondary analysis examined 3.6 million social work assessments recorded in England between 2014 and 2021 to identify twelve common categories of demand in children's social care (CSC). Using latent class analysis, the study profiled the types of risk and need assessed by social workers, the intervention pathways associated with each demand category, and how child characteristics (age, gender, ethnicity, deprivation) shape those pathways. It found significant inequalities in provision — including a social gradient in intervention rates — and linked demand categories to intermediate outcomes (re-referrals, repeat child protection plans, re-entries to care) and longitudinal educational outcomes (KS2/KS4 attainment and school exclusions).