4th February 2025 • My Family Our Needs

Research conducted by the County Councils Network (CCN) and IMPOWER has found that the number of young people being placed in residential homes rather than foster care is increasing. Not only this, but many of them are being placed far from where they live.

The research report was released to over 200 delegates at CCN’s annual conference. The network’s children’s services spokesperson told delegates that the report should be a ‘turning point’ for children’s services in England and reform must be delivered within 12 months from the spring.

Since 2019, the number of children and young people placed in care has increased by 7%, roughly 5,690 individuals. In contrast, the number of young people being cared for in children’s homes and supported accommodation has risen by 45%, an increase of more than 4,500 individuals.

In the last year councils have spent £6.6bn on children in care, with projections predicting this will double in six years’ time if the trend continues. This leaves councils with little to pay for preventative care services which in turn will lead to further spending on residential homes.

 Due to a lack of availability and a rise in demand, 32% of children in local authority care in 2023 lived in residential or semi-independent homes over 20 miles from their local area, school, and family. This is an 18% increase from 2019.

Analysis from the CCN and IMPOWER report finds that, if nothing changes, there is potential for there to be over 22,500 individuals in children’s homes by the end of the decade, more than double the amount of 2019; 10,000 individuals.

The research and following report also found that educational and employment outcomes for children entering care have not improved over the years despite an increase in spending.

Councils have said that ‘young people who are finding themselves places many miles from home at a time they are experiencing the trauma of being removed from their family’ are the ‘biggest losers’ of the current system.

Not only are children under the care of the local authority far from home and having more trouble with education and future employment, but they are also the most at risk of harm and neglect and due to lack of alternatives, are often placed in the wrong type of care for their needs.

The CCN and IMPOWER call for a review of foster care recruitment and retention and to commit to long-term partnerships with care providers. The report calls for all children and young people to be cared for within their local area or region and for this to become a requirement when considering care placements, with legislative support and a phased transition.

Cllr Roger Gough, Children’s Services Spokesperson for the CCN, said, ‘This report should act as a turning point for children’s services in England. It finds a system broken [… with] far too many children being placed many miles from home at a time when they are experiencing the trauma of being removed from their family.

‘If we carry on as we are […] It will leave us locked into a vicious circle of higher spending and poorer outcomes.’

Dominic Luscombe, Director at IMPOWER Consulting, said, ‘The findings of this report highlight a system in desperate need of attention. Fundamental change is needed to tackle this complex challenge and prevent further reductions in support for children and families […]

‘Far too many children are in the wrong care for their needs because of […] a system that can place too much focus on ‘risks’ rather than young people’s needs and aspirations.’

In other news, The Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) annual assessment of the state of health and social care in England revealed that delays in receiving the right support can have long-term consequences for children and young people.