An unprecedented study of 2.3m children has found that one in three children born between 1996 and 1999 who had experience of the care system received a youth justice caution or conviction between the ages of 10 and 17, compared with just 4% of those without experience of care.

The investigation, led by PERU’s Dr Katie Hunter with colleagues from Lancaster University, is the largest ever study of its kind in England, demonstrating that children who’d been in care – and particularly those who are Black – are statistically over-represented in the criminal justice system.