Skip to content

Core Indicators Dashboard

Trends in violence affecting children in England and Wales over the last 10 years.

Published -
April 2, 2025

Our core indicator dashboard provides a clear account of whether children’s involvement in violence is improving or worsening, by evaluating the performance of key sectors supporting these children and young people.

Children affected by violence

  • Homicides

    16–24-year-old homicide victims (England and Wales)

    Latest value
    63
    Latest Year
    March 2025
    Indicator performance
    improving
    change compared to
    previous year (2023/24)
    -41%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    -55%
    10 years before (2014/15)
    -27%

  • Knife crime

    Hospital admissions for knife assault (0-17-year-olds)

    Latest value
    409
    Latest Year
    March 2025
    Indicator performance
    mixed
    change compared to
    previous year (2023/24)
    -20%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    -26%
    10 years before (2014/15)
    33%

  • Justice System Involvement

    Proven violent offences committed by children

    Latest value
    3,970
    Latest Year
    March 2025
    Indicator performance
    improving
    change compared to
    previous year (2023/24)
    -2.8%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    -10%
    10 years before (2014/15)
    -24%

  • Disproportionality

    Proportion of children in custody who are Black

    Latest value
    22%
    Latest Year
    March 2025
    Indicator performance
    mixed
    change compared to
    previous year (2023/24)
    -1.7%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    -6.2%
    10 years before (2014/15)
    0.9%

Sectors & Society

  • Policing

    Recorded crimes that were successfully investigated

    Latest value
    11.6%
    Latest Year
    March 2025
    Indicator performance
    mixed
    change compared to
    previous year (2023/24)
    1.2%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    -0.7%
    10 years before (2014/15)
    -13.6%

  • Youth justice

    Children’s reoffending rate

    Latest value
    31.8%
    Latest Year
    March 2024
    Indicator performance
    improving
    change compared to
    previous year (2022/23)
    -0.7%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    -2.5%
    10 years before (2012/13)
    -11.2%

  • Education

    Children persistently absent from school

    Latest value
    20%
    Latest Year
    July 2024
    Indicator performance
    mixed
    change compared to
    previous year (2022/23)
    -1.3%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    9.1%
    10 years before (2013/14)
    9.3%

  • Health

    Child referrals to mental health services

    Latest value
    1,215,651
    Latest Year
    March 2025
    Indicator performance
    worsening
    change compared to
    previous year (2023/24)
    6.7%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    59%
    10 years before (2016/17*)
    118%

  • Children’s services

    Looked after children

    Latest value
    81,770
    Latest Year
    March 2025
    Indicator performance
    mixed
    change compared to
    previous year (2023/24)
    -2.1%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    1.8%
    10 years before (2014/15)
    17.7%

  • Youth sector

    Local authority expenditure for youth services

    Latest value
    £475m
    Latest Year
    March 2025
    Indicator performance
    worsening
    change compared to
    previous year (2023/24)
    -7.7%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    -0.3%
    10 years before (2014/15)
    -44%

  • Poverty

    Children in households in absolute poverty

    Latest value
    26.4%
    Latest Year
    March 2024
    Indicator performance
    mixed
    change compared to
    previous year (2022/23)
    1.4%
    pre-covid (2019/20)
    1.6%
    10 years before (2013/14)
    -1.9%