Devon is a large upper tier, local authority, with eight district councils. 

The average age of the population is 43.9yrs.

Devon has a complex combination of coastal, rural and small urban localities with one city, Exeter. Each locality having its own unique socio-economic challenges and identity.  

Devon has a population of 1.2 million people who are predominantly white with only 4.2% of residents identifying themselves as Asian, Black, Mixed or other according to the 2022 Census.  

There are 152,921 children and young people aged 0-17 living in Devon. This is set to decline slightly by 2029. 

As of May 2024, there are 873 children in care of which 570 (65%) are placed in Devon.  

64% of children in care are placed in foster care, 44% in house fostering and 20% with a fostering agency.   

The number of children in care has been steadily decreasing and is predicted to continue to decline throughout the life of this strategy.  

There is a significant gap in the number of younger fostering households, there is therefore a significant potential impact of the current age profile on future sufficiency. 

At time of writing there were 124 children in residential care. Permanence plan data shows that only 61 children require long term residential care.  

147 of the 873 (16.83%) children in care in Devon have a disability and some have more than one diagnosis.     

There are more registered care beds in Devon than the number of children in care, but these do not always meet assessed need. 

88 children have been adopted or are awaiting adoption in the last 12 months. 

There has been a gradual increase in number of under 12-year-olds in residential placements.