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Statistics on children from minority ethnic backgrounds

June 2011

Statistics on children from minority ethnic backgrounds collated from government, official and research publications.  Children from minority ethnic backgrounds are one of the NSPCC's priorities.

Population data on ethnicity 

According to the 2001 census, the ethnic breakdown of the under 18 population of England and Wales is as follows:

• White: British: 10,012,862 (85%)
• White: Irish: 43,758 (<1%)
• White Other: White: 207,760 (2%)
• Mixed: White and Black Caribbean: 148,505 (1%)
• Mixed: White and Black African: 38,814 (<1%)
• Mixed: White and Asian: 98,088 (<1%)
• Mixed: Other Mixed: 75,126 (<1%)
• Asian or Asian British: Indian: 273,090 (2%)
• Asian or Asian British: Pakistani: 280,993 (2%)
• Asian or Asian British: Bangladeshi: 120,947 (1%)
• Asian or Asian British: Other Asian: 63,913 (<1%)
• Black or Black British: Black Caribbean: 130,410 (1%)
• Black or Black British: Black African: 161,038 (1%)
• Black or Black British: Other Black: 40,481 ( <1%)
• Chinese or Other Ethic Group: 50,853 (<1%)
• Chinese or Other Ethnic Group: Other Ethnic Group: 48,598 (<1%)
  
  From: Great Britain. Office for National Statistics.  Census 2001: Table S101: sex and age by ethnic group (Excel) .
  

Child welfare data on ethnicity

A study compared the ethnic breakdown of children in England from the 2001 census with three sets of child welfare data: the Children in need census (2003, 2005); the number of children on the protection register or subject to a child protection plan (2004, 2005 and 2006); and the number of children looked after (2004, 2005 and 2006).

They found that given proportions in the national population:

• White children were represented as expected on the children in need census and on the child protection register and as looked after children.
  
  
• Children of mixed ethnic background were over-represented on the children in need census and on the child protection register and as looked after children.
  
  
• Asian children were under-represented on the children in need census and on the child protection register and as looked after children.
  
  
• Black children were over-represented on the children in need census and as looked after children.  Black children were represented as expected on the child protection register.
  
  From: Owen, Charlie, and Statham, June (2009)  Disproportionality in child welfare: prevalence of black and ethnic minority children within 'looked after' and 'children in need' populations and on child protection registers in England (PDF) .  London: Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

Serious case review data on ethnicity

A report on 268 serious case reviews relating to incidents that occurred between April 2007 and March 2009 compared the ethnicity of the children in these reviews with population estimates by ethnic group of children aged 0-15 years in 2007.

They found that given proportions in the national population:

• Children of mixed or black/black British ethnicity were overrepresented in serious case reviews.
  
  
• Children of Asian or Asian British ethnicity were likely to be under-represented in serious case reviews.
  
  
• A slightly higher percentage of serious case reviews concerned white children in 2007-09 than earlier biennial studies of serious case reviews.  
  
  From: Brandon, M., Bailey, S. and Belderson, P. (2010)  Building on the learning from serious case reviews: a two-year analysis of child protection database notifications 2007-2009 (PDF) . London: Department for Education (DFE).

Contact the NSPCC Information Service for further information on children from minority ethnic backgrounds or any other child protection topic

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