Educational Attendance and Attainment of Children in Care, 2018 - 2024

There are five classifications that describe employment/education outcomes for children who left care within each calendar year. These are:

• 'Substantial Employment only'
• 'Substantial Employment and Education'
• 'Education only'
• 'Neither Employment nor Education'
• 'Employment/Education status not identified'

These classifications are described in detail in the Background Notes

Outcomes by single year of age in 2021 and 2022

Children who left care were more likely to be in 'education only' compared to all children in both 2021 and 2022. Note that this analysis is based on individuals that were aged 18-23 years in January 2024 (see Table 5.1).

The proportion of children who left care who were in 'education only' in 2022 decreased with age from 71% of those aged 18 to 27% of those aged 23, while for all children it reduced from 57% of those aged 18 to 11% of those aged 23 (see Figure 5.1). Both cohorts had higher proportions in 'education only' in 2021 than in 2022, but again this reduced by age (see Table 5.1).

In 2022, the proportion of children who left care and were in 'substantial employment only or substantial employment with education' was lower for children who left care than for all children for every age from 18-23 years. For example 56% of those who left care aged 23 were in this category compared with 76% of all children (see Figure 5.2). A similar pattern was seen in 2021, though the proportions were lower for both cohorts than in 2022 (see Table 5.1).

Outcomes by calendar year, 2019-2022

Approximately nine in ten of children who left care since April 2018 and of all children (aged 18-23 years by January 2024 for both groups) were in substantial employment, enrolled in school, or in further or higher education for each of the years 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

The proportion of young adults in ‘substantial employment only’ or in ‘substantial employment with education’ was lower for children who left care compared with all children over the whole time period 2019-2022. In 2022, 36% of children who left care were in these two outcome categories combined, while the proportion was 63% among all children, see Figure 5.4, Figure 5.5 and Table 5.2.

Further education, higher education and school enrolments in calendar year 2022

In 2022 the same proportion (28%) of children who had left care and of all children were still enrolled at school (amongst those 18-23 years in January 2024 for both groups) with no additional further or higher education enrolment in that year, see Figure 5.6 and Table 5.3.

While the total proportion of young adults enrolled in further and higher education in 2022 was similar for children who left care (52%) compared with all children (49%), a larger proportion of children who left care attended further education courses (36%) and a lower proportion attended higher education courses (16%) compared with all children at 10% and 39% respectively.

Looking at further education in 2022 in more detail, children who left care were also more likely to be enrolled in Post-Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses (16%) and Youthreach courses (6%) than all children at 6% and 1% respectively (see Table 5.3). PLC courses are fulltime further education courses lasting 1-2 years, often with a high practical component, for people who have finished post-primary education. Youthreach provides opportunities for young people who left school without formal qualifications to build on their basic education and improve work skills. 

Some in further education may have subsequently progressed to higher education. For instance, Figure 5.7 shows that the proportion of children who left care enrolled in further education went up from 32% in 2021 to 36% in 2022, while the proportion in higher education also increased from 12% to 16% over the same two years (see also Table 5.3 for educational enrolments in 2022 and Table 5.4 for 2021 enrolments).

For all children, the percentage in further education remained the same at 10% in 2021 and 2022, while the proportion in higher education increased from 30% in 2021 to 39% in 2022.

Further education, higher education and school enrolments in calendar year 2021

Looking at educational enrolments in 2021, 32% of children who left care were enrolled in further education and 12% were in higher education, whereas amongst all children in the same age group (18-23 in January 2024), the proportions were 10% in further education and 30% in higher education (see Figure 5.8 and Table 5.4).

Looking at further education enrolments in 2021 in more detail, higher proportions of children who left care were enrolled in PLC courses (13%) and Youthreach courses (6%) compared with all children (5% and 1% respectively).

The proportions still enrolled in school in 2021 were 46% for children who left care and 43% for all children.

Outcomes for early leavers

A quarter of children who left care and were also early school leavers were in 'substantial employment' (9%) or 'substantial employment and education' (16%) in 2022 compared with over half of children who left care who were not early school leavers at 12% and 42% respectively (see Figure 5.9 and Table 5.5). Amongst all children, 43% of early school leavers were in 'substantial employment' or 'substantial employment and education' in 2022 compared with 78% of all children who were not early leavers. These figures are based on those children who entered post-primary school between 2013 and 2016.

In 2022, 28% of children who left care and were also early leavers were in 'neither employment nor education' compared with 7% of children who left care who were not early leavers.  Amongst all children, 22% of early school leavers were in 'neither employment nor education' compared with 3% of all children who were not early leavers.

While the underlying numbers are small, the proportion of children who left care, were identified as an early leaver and who also repeated a school year was 10%. This is higher than for children who left care and were not early leavers, of whom 4% had repeated a school year.

The proportion of children who left care and had changed primary or post-primary school at least once was 37% for early leavers compared with 23% of those who completed the Leaving Certificate (see Table 5.5).

Outcomes by sex, care type, legal status, placements and school changes

The 2022 outcomes for the whole group of 2,441 children who left care (and aged 18-23 years in January 2024) by sex, care type, legal status, number of placements and school changes is shown in Table 5.6. Looking at the percentage distribution of the outcome classifications by sex shows the proportion in "substantial employment and education' was eight percentage points higher for females (33%) than males (25%), whereas a higher proportion of males than females were in 'substantial employment only' at 9% versus 4%.

Children whose last placement before leaving care was foster care were more likely to be in 'substantial employment and education' at 34% compared to 16% of those in other placement types. Young people whose last placement was not foster care had higher proportions in the 'Neither employment nor education' category (17%) compared to those in foster care (6%).