#GoneTooFar
Our campaign to keep children in care close to the people and places that matter to them.
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Thousands of children in care have #GoneTooFar away from the people and places that matter to them.
We are Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers. We want you to know that you can make a difference for children in care by encouraging your MP to support our #GoneTooFar campaign.
All children need and deserve the same things to thrive: a loving home, a stable support network, and access to the community that helps them feel like they belong. But children in care rarely get this when they are moved far away from the people and places that matter to them.
Over 17,000 children are moved 20+ miles away each year, often without warning – with some children moved more than 500 miles and the number of children experiencing these far away moves is rising year on year.
We know this is having a harmful impact on children’s lives and their futures. Being moved far away can disrupt a child’s education, their relationships – including with brothers and sisters who might live tens of miles away, and impact their mental health. Young people we work with have told us it makes them feel lonely, isolated, and even more stigmatised, and that they have little or no choice in where they live.
It doesn’t have to be this way. We are campaigning with an amazing group of care-experienced young people to change this, who have highlighted how things can be different and what this will mean for children in care.
“When young people are suddenly thrown into an area they don’t know and have to start a new life away from their family and friends and even people that look like them, it is extremely difficult.” – Jade
We want to see all children in care living in safe and stable homes that meet their needs. Together, we can help make this a reality.
You can help by messaging your MP and asking them to support the #GoneTooFar campaign. Ask them to raise this with our government and check what action is happening in their own constituency to prevent children being moved far away when it’s not in their best interests.
Each year, children in care are being moved miles away from the community, people, and places that matter to them.
Our research reveals that...
18+ miles
the distance a child in care is moved, on average, from the people and places they know.
Over 1 in 5
children in care in England (17,000) are living 20+ miles away from home (up from 16% in 2012).
92%
of children living in private children's homes were 'out of area' in 2022.
We know this is having a harmful impact on the lives and life chances of children in care.
Jade
“I was thinking how will I see my mum, my sisters, keep in touch with my friends? All the emotions together made me burst out in tears.”
Listen to JadeKevin
"If we want the best outcomes for all care-experienced young people then we have to keep them within their local area, keep those relationships intact, keep that sense of community so they become the best person they can be."
Listen to KevinLouise
“My twin sister was moved from London to Ipswich. That really affected her as she went from living in a city to a countryside with a lack of diversity.”
Listen to LouiseChildren are being let down by a care system in urgent need of change.
This is a national issue facing local authorities across the country, yet despite recent proposals to improve the care system, there’s still no national commitment or strategy to keep children close to the people and places that matter to them when it is in their best interest.
Our #GoneTooFar campaign seeks to keep children in care close to the people and places that matter to them – ensuring they have the love, stability, and security we all need to thrive.
We’re calling on the Government to:
- Commit to stop children being moved miles from home (unless in their best interests)
- Develop and publish national and local strategies to increase the supply of appropriate local options, so that children don’t have to be moved miles away from their support networks.
Public support for the #GoneTooFar campaign
#GoneTooFar in the media
We'll be adding news coverage here as the campaign progresses, including stories amplifying young people's views and experiences.
Ezra's #GoneTooFar story - BBC News
'Charity Become said some children were 500 miles from home'
Read hereIsabelle's #GoneTooFar story - Channel 4 News
'Care system in crisis' - children living hundreds of miles from community
Watch nowJade's #GoneTooFar story - iNews
'Children moved more than 500 miles away from home due to ‘broken’ care system'
Read hereLaunching our new #GoneTooFar campaign
Charity calls for end to “unacceptable” number of children in care being moved miles away from their communities
Read press releaseCEO blog: “Government must act now"
Our CEO Katharine Sacks-Jones reveals the shocking numbers of children in care being moved against their best interests, and the impact this has on their lives
How you can get involved
Support on social media
Help raise awareness of this issue and increase pressure on the government by sharing the #GoneTooFar campaign on social media.
Young campaigners talk to the public
Watch our short filmEmail, tweet or write to your MP
Contact your MPDonate little but often
We know we won't succeed in our campaign overnight. Can you support us over the coming months so we can build momentum and help more young people? Set up a monthly donation for what you can afford and join our community of allies and monthly givers.
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