More children being moved far from home as social care crisis worsens

New figures show that the proportion of children in care who are moved a long distance from where they originally lived, has risen to almost half – because of a shortage of local places. ITV News Social Affairs Correspondent Sarah Corker reports
Jade Barnett was just 15 when she came home from school one day to find she was being moved from London to Lancashire – 250 miles away from everything and everyone she knew.
“I remember getting in this black taxi that had all my stuff in the back of it and crying all the way to Blackpool,” she said.
“When I woke up in the morning I remember hearing seagulls and being right by the seaside – which was so strange for me because I’d lived in London my whole life.”
What she thought would be a two week placement, ended up being nearly two years in care.
“I felt like I had been tricked by the system, I felt like I had been let down by the system,” Jade said.
“Moving away from London was a pivotal moment for me because relationships were broken. I missed my nephews growing up, I missed birthdays, I missed Christmas.
“I think I lost my sense of identity as well. I felt so let-down, I felt violated,” she added.
There are more than 83,630 children in care across England, looked after by local authorities.
Of that, 18,040 of them have been placed in accommodation more than 20 miles away from home – that’s more than 20% of all those in care.
And it’s a number that’s growing – up by 51% over the last decade.
Some children need to be placed in certain locations for their own safety, but all too often the large distances are a symptom of a broken system.
Research by the county councils network estimates it costs £300,000 a year on average to provide a care home placement for a child.
Astronomical sums for residential placements means less money for crisis support and preventative measures.
Beyond the stats, are thousands of children facing more instability than ever before, simply because there are no alternatives closer to home.
There’s a chronic shortage of accommodation – and councils are spending billions every year on placements in private children’s homes.
In deprived areas, with a high proportion of looked after children, local authorities warning they will go bankrupt.
Katharine Sacks-Jones is the Chief Executive of Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers.
“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,” she says.
“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.”
Katharine Sacks-Jones is the Chief Executive of Become, the national charity for children in care and young care leavers, spoke to ITV News
The ex chair of the Independent Review into Children’s Social Care, Josh MacAlister – who is now a labour MP – said: “There is a lot of money that’s being taken out of this system for children, who are the most vulnerable, by profit making companies.
“That is a symptom of a lot of other problems and it’s something that the new government is keen to get a grip of.”
The government has promised £400 million pounds to open more children’s homes, but meaningful reform will cost much more.
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We’re already investing £40 million to recruit more foster carers and better support kinship carers, as well as providing £400 million to open more children’s homes where they’re most needed.
“For too long, the children’s social care system has been left to fester, but we are now determined to deliver meaningful reform once and for all to deliver better life chances for some of the most vulnerable children in our country.”
Jade, now 24, has turned her life around and is now rebuilding relationships with her siblings, but warns too many children are being failed by a care system that’s supposed to protect them.
“I guess looking back now, I have turned my pain into purpose, but not every young person is like that,” she said.
“I do feel like there was points in my journey that could have easily broken me down.”
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