This paper reports on a study of looked after children (LAC)’s involvement in physical activities including sport. The 2007 White Paper Care Matters: Time for Change suggested, inter alia, that councils provide free access to leisure centres for children in care. The study employed an emerging social science research approach, the use of requests under the 2000 Freedom of Information Act, to investigate the topic. Requests were made in writing in 2011 to all 152 Directors in England listed on the Association of Directors of Children’s Services website and replies were received from 128. The findings indicate that there is differential provision in England according to where LAC live, with fewer than half of councils (48 per cent) currently providing free leisure passes. Most councils (73 per cent) do not collate aggregate data on LAC’s involvement in physical activity, so are not able to judge whether the levels are comparable with that of the general child population. Recommendations are made for policy and practice and it is concluded that, as the use of Freedom of Information requests offers more advantages than limitations, it be considered suitable for use across a range of social work research.