A ‘shocking’ number of children are being moved into care far from their communities, according to a campaigning charity.

Become says children are being moved to places they don’t know, often without warning, far away from family, friends, school, and community.

The average child in care in England is placed more than 18 miles from home and some are moved more than 500 miles from their communities.?

Become sent Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 151 local authorities and to the Department of Education (DfE) between October 2022 and February 2023. They received responses from 138 councils

Children who experience multiple care placements were more likely to be placed more than 20 miles from home, the charity found.

Children who have just had one placement are placed on average 15.8 miles away from home, while children who have had three or more placements are placed on average 22.4 miles away from home.

The charity for children in care and young care leavers says an increasing number are being moved far away only because of a lack of suitable places in their local area, compounding the trauma they have already experienced.

This is having a ‘harmful, devastating, impact on the lives and life chances’ of the children affected.

In a new campaign, #GoneTooFar, Become is calling on the Government and local authorities to commit to stop children being placed miles from home, to publish strategies to increase the supply of appropriate local options, and recognise and register the number of times children are moved inappropriately.

Become CEO Katharine Sacks-Jones said a national commitment and strategy was needed to keep children close to the people and places that matter to them.

All children in care ‘deserve the love and stability they need to heal and thrive,’ she said.

She added: ‘It’s unacceptable that children are being moved away, not because it’s the right decision for them, but because there are no suitable options closer. It cannot continue.’