The number of at-risk pupil referrals made by schools to social services has risen to more than one in five of the total in 2023, according to the latest figures published today.

The proportion of referrals coming from schools has risen to 20.1 per cent (128,650 referrals) of the total referrals, up from 18 per cent (117,190 referrals) in 2019.

The data shows that schools are the most common source of referrals after the police, accounting for two in 10 referrals.

The number of pupils who were suspected of being at risk and were referred to children’s social services by schools in the year ending 31 March 2023 was slightly down from 129,090 the year before.

Safeguarding: Schools’ frustration over referrals

Tes revealed earlier this year that as many as three-quarters of the safeguarding referrals being made by schools were resulting in no further action being taken by local authorities. School leaders said the system was leaving them frustrated and often forcing them to use their own resources to challenge decisions.

The proportion of total children’s social care referrals resulting in no further action after initial consideration fell by just over half to 7.1 per cent between 2013 and 2023. However, the proportion of referrals where pupils were assessed not to be in need increased by just over half to 29.9 per cent in the same time frame. 

The most common factors identified at the end of assessment in the latest data were concerns about the mental health of a parent and concerns about a parent being a victim of domestic abuse. 

• Safeguarding: Fears for pupil safety as safeguarding referrals result in “no action”
• Gang violence: How our academy trust protects vulnerable pupils
• Support: How to help pupils who are young carers

The total number of referrals made to children’s social care in the year ending 31 March 2023 was 640,430. Looking at the past decade, this total is actually lower than every year apart from 2016 (621,470) and 2021 (597,760). 

If a child is assessed to be at risk of harm, they are subject to a child protection plan. There were 50,780 children subject to protection plans in the year ending March 2023, a slight fall from the year before (50,920).

There was also a fall in the number of children subject to protection plans in the year ending March 2021, to 50,010. This is likely to have been down to the decrease in referrals from schools due to remote learning during the pandemic, according to the DfE.