Press release: Department for Education (DfE) figures Nov 2024
New Government figures show almost half of children in care are now living out of area
New data released by the Department for Education (DfE) today (14 November 2024) shows that the number of children living out of area has increased by more than 5,000 in the past five years. Young people are moved often alone and without warning, compounding the trauma they have already experienced as they are separated from everything and everyone they know.
With the number of children in care still over 83,000, the figures reveal how urgently this Government must act to increase the number of foster and children’s homes across the country.
Government figures show that, as at 31 March 2024:
- Across England, 18, 040 children in care had been moved more than 20 miles away from home. That’s 22% of all children in care.
- Over the last decade, there has been a 51% increase in the numbers moved more than 20 miles away. In the same period, the overall number of children in care increased by 22%.
- 49% of all children in care living in children’s homes or secure units were living more than 20 miles from home.
- Many children in care experience multiple moves – more than 25, 000 moved home at least once last year, whilst 10% had multiple home moves in last 12 months.
- Over 14,000 care leavers aged 19-21 were not in education, employment and training, 39% compared with to an estimated 13% of all young people aged 19-21.
- 2,570 care leavers aged 17 to 21 were living in accommodation deemed to be unsuitable by their own local authority.
Katharine Sacks-Jones, Chief Executive of Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers, says:
“The persistently high number of children in care means no let-up for a system that’s already on its knees and failing to meet the needs of young people. It’s simply not good enough that more children are being moved far away from everything they know due to a lack of suitable homes close by.
We’ve heard time and again from children in care the devasting impact this has when they are separated from brothers and sisters and pulled out of their school, which often happens without warning and sometimes multiple times a year.
Young people in care can’t afford to wait any longer. The Government needs to take decisive action to stop these numbers getting worse by developing a national 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.”
