FOI Request - Children's Services and EHE Data
Request 101003972226
Updated request received 06-04-2026:
We apologise, our FOI went out to all LAs and should have sent the Scottish version to you. Please find below an edited Scottish version of our original FOI
For the purposes of this request:
“Electively Home Educated (EHE)” refers to any child of compulsory school age not registered at a school and whose education is primarily the responsibility of their parent/carer, regardless of how recorded by the local authority.
Please include children currently recorded as EHE, and those recorded under other categories (e.g. not attending school, unknown destination, or similar) where they were previously known to be EHE prior to being reclassified.
'Children's services' refers to Social Work / Children and Families Social Work
“Compulsory school age (CSA)” refers to children as defined under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 (generally ages 5 to 16).
Where exact data is not held, please provide the closest available data and explain any limitations.
1. Population Data
a) Please provide
i) the total population of children in your area as of 1 April 2026
ii) how many of those are CSA
b) i) Total number of children known to Children’s Services as of 1 April 2026
ii) how many of those are pre CSA
iii) how many are post CSA
c) Number of those in b) recorded as EHE (as defined above)
2. Referrals
Between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026:
a) Total number of referrals to Children’s Services for CSA children
b) Number of referrals involving children recorded as EHE
c) Of those involving EHE how many children received more than one referral?
d) Of the referrals involving EHE how many involved children known to services due to adoption-related support?
3. Child Protection Investigations
Between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026:
a) Total number of child protection investigations for CSA children
b) Number involving EHE children
4. Child Protection Register
Between 1 April 2025 and 1 April 2026:
a) Total number of CSA children placed on the Child Protection Register
b) Number of those children who are EHE
5. Children in Need (Section 22)
a) Total number of CSA children recorded as receiving support under Section 22 duties
b) Number of those children who are EHE
c) Of the EHE children recorded how many are due to accessing disability services in the local offer?
d) Of the EHE children recorded how many are recorded as receiving adoption-related support?
6. Children in Care (Looked After Children)
a) Total number of CSA children in care
b) Number of those children who were EHE immediately prior to entering care
7. Outcomes of Referrals (EHE vs Overall)
For referrals identified in Question 2:
Please provide a breakdown of outcomes for:
No further action
Early help offered and if it was accepted/declined Child in need offered and if it was accepted/declined Child protection investigation initiated
Please indicate, where possible, whether adoption-related involvement was a factor in EHE cases.
Provide this for:
a) All children
b) EHE children
8. Reasons for Referral
Please provide the recorded primary reasons for referral for EHE children (e.g. neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, education concerns, etc.).
If “education concerns” is a category, please specify how many referrals were solely due to concerns about education provision.
9. Source of Referrals
For EHE children, please provide the source of referrals (e.g. school, GP, hospital, police, local authority EHE team, family, anonymous, etc.).
10. Internal Recording Practices
a) Does your authority record EHE status within Children’s Services systems?
b) If so, at what stage is this recorded (e.g. referral, assessment, ongoing case)?
c) If not, how would EHE children be identified within safeguarding data?
Data Limitations
If any data requested is not held:
Please confirm this explicitly
Explain why it is not held
State whether it could be obtained within cost limits