foster carers (9%). The average age at SGO remained the same as last year at six years and two months (DfE, 2024e). SP data on reasons for children leaving care suggest some changes. Extrapolated numbers (from 122 respondents) show more children are ceasing to be in the care of one local authority as their care is taken over by another local authority in the UK. The number rose from 1,005 in Phase 8 (2021–22) to 2,479 in the latest phase, representing an increase of 147%. Age assessments of unaccompanied asylum seekers which determined that a young person initially identified as a child is in fact over the age of 18 have increased between Phase 8 and Phase 9, from 212 to 412, representing a 94% increase. Other end-of-care reasons have remained broadly stable, with a slight fall in adoptions as noted above. 4.8 Child and family social work workforce In 2022–23 there were more social workers employed in children’s services than at any point since data collection started in 2017 (DfE, 2004f). The data also show the second highest turnover rate and vacancy rate for child and family social workers since 2017 (DfE, 2024f), leading the DfE to uplift the national risk around insufficient social work capacity from ‘moderate–very likely’ to ‘critical–very likely’ (DfE, 2024g). There is a crowded landscape of routes into the profession – through undergraduate courses, fast-track graduate programmes and degree apprenticeships. The last of these was the priority for the majority of DCSs interviewed as a route to ‘growing your own’ from staff who already live and work locally and have a grounded understanding of the challenges of social work. Apprenticeship programmes are likely to improve retention and have the 56 potential to increase access for UK minority ethnic participants and 