Essex is one of the largest counties in England with a population of nearly 1.5 million. Which is growing by around 10,000 people every year with 22.8% of our residents being under the age of 19.

Essex has a high population of children and young people under 19’s are White British. In areas of high density or where the area is closer to London, there are higher levels of ethnic diversity.

Over the last 2-3 years Essex has seen an increase in financial poverty due to COVID, the cost of living crisis, and inflation increasing the need for early intervention and Children in care provision.

Essex has approximately 1,164 Children and Young People placed into looked after settings in Essex, and it is expected that this figure will increase to 1,221 by summer 2026. 

Of the Children and Young People who require provision 48% have a Care Order, with the majority between 10 and 15 years old.

Out of all Children and Young People that are in a social care provision, 76% are placed within Essex and 24% are placed outside of Essex.

Children and Young People entering into social care provision do not follow a standard pathway. Thus are likely to require different types of services at different stages of their lives.

This section provides further insight into our Essex Children and Young People. It will provide you with an understanding of:

• Children and Young People population
• Children and Young People age, sex and ethnicity
• Locality based deprivation
• Provision of services
• Sourcing of services
• Current market spend