Crisis in children’s care as half relocated outside local authority

In the UK, nearly 45 percent of children in care have been relocated outside their local authority this year, with a significant 22 percent being moved more than 20 miles away from their homes. These children often end up missing crucial connections with their communities, such as their friends, family, and teachers, leading to detrimental effects on their relationships and education. The figure of children in care being moved out of their area has been increasing, highlighting a severe crisis facing social care systems today. This troubling trend stems from a mismatch between the rising demand for foster carers and children's homes and the current limited local availability of these services. While the number of children's homes has grown in line with the increasing number of children entering care, these homes are not evenly distributed geographically, leading to many children being placed in settings that are far from their families and communities. Local authorities are obligated under the Children Act 1989 to find appropriate placements within their communities, but many are struggling to meet these legal obligations. The lack of sufficient numbers of foster families and specialized children's homes has left local authorities with few options when seeking care for vulnerable children, pushing them to make difficult choices that can separate children from supportive networks. In response to this crisis, the government is investing in measures to alleviate the strain on the foster care system, with £40 million allocated for recruiting more foster carers and supporting kinship carers, as well as £400 million to create additional children’s homes where they are most needed. These efforts, however, must be accompanied by a wider focus on preventive measures to tackle underlying issues of poverty, which contribute significantly to family breakdowns and an increasing number of children entering the care system.