GROWING numbers of children in care are being moved to children’s homes and foster carers far from family, friends, school and community, due to a shortage of suitable homes locally. These moves often happen without warning and have a devastating impact on children’s lives, disrupting their education, life outcomes, and relationships.
New data from Become, the charity for children in care and young care leavers, reveals that:
- There are almost 18,000 children in care in England living more than 20 miles from home, representing one in five children in care
- The number has increased by more than 3,000 since 2018, rising every year
- Children in care are now living further away, on average, than they were a year ago
- Children in private children’s homes are 2.5 times more likely to be living far away than those in non-private accommodation
- Four out of five children in secure settings are living more than 20 miles from home
- Children living more than 20 miles from home have significantly lower wellbeing than those who are placed closer to home
- Children who experience multiple moves are more likely to be placed more than 20 miles from home
The charity is calling on the new Labour government and local authorities to commit to stop children being placed miles from home; to publish strategies to increase the supply of appropriate local options; and to recognise and register the number of times children are moved inappropriately.
Katharine Sacks-Jones, CEO of Become, says: “We hear time and again from children in care the devastating impact of being made to move to an area of the country they don’t know. This often happens without warning and sometimes multiple times a year.
“This means moving away from friends, brothers and sisters, school and college – and being left lonely and isolated, at greater risk of exploitation with real consequences for their lives and futures.
“It is unacceptable that with each year that passes, the situation is getting worse with more and more being sent away from the people and places that matter to them. This new data shows just how urgently the new Government must act. We need a national commitment and strategy so that all children in care have a safe and suitable home in the right area and get the love and stability they deserve”.
* Source: Become