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Looked-after children are three times more likely to commit an offence than children not in care, according to the latest Department of Heath statistics on outcomes for looked-after children.

Ten per cent of looked-after children aged 10 or over were cautioned or convicted of an offence in the year ending September 2001 - three times the rate for all children of this age, the report found.

There were 43,400 children looked after by English local authorities in September 2001, compared with 42,200 the previous year. Of those, 33,800 were of school age. Twenty-six per cent had special educational needs, 12 per cent missed at least 25 days of school and 1 per cent had received a permanent exclusion.

Whereas 95 per cent of all school children obtained at least one GCSE or GNVQ, only 50 per cent of children in care gained one qualification. Eight per cent of looked-after children obtained five GCSEs at grades A to C, compared with 48 per cent of all children. Seventy-two per cent of school leavers and 53 per cent of children in care remained in full-time education.

- Outcome Indicators for Looked-After Children: Twelve months to 30 September 2001, England from www.doh.gov.uk/public/oi2001.htm