Thousands of Children in Care More Than 20 Miles Away From Their Home: Report

Thousands of young people in council care were last year placed in accommodations miles from their home, with “far too many” disconnected from their local community, a new report has found. A third of children lived in council accommodation over 20 miles from their local area, school, and family in 2023, according to research from the County Councils Network (CCN) and Impower Consulting. In total, 4,600 young people were affected, marking an 18 percent increase since 2019. Researchers pointed to “chronic lack of availability” in local areas, the rising demand for accommodation and flatlining foster carer capacity as mains reasons for the development. The report, released to coincide with CCN’s annual conference in Marlow, aims to mark a “turning point” for children’s services in England....