Children in care moved quarter of a million times in four years

More than a thousand children in care are being moved on from their placement every week, finds new research by a coalition of children’s charities.

The analysis of government data reveals that over the last four years, children’s care placements have changed nearly a quarter of a million times, and two in three young people moved were in care because of abuse and neglect.

Children in care told researchers that the unsettled nature of care is leaving them feeling unsafe and lacking trust in social workers following multiple changes in placements. 

It comes as care experienced young people are set to come together in Parliament today to urge MPs to put their voices at the heart of social care reform.  

A month after the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care called for a reset of the system, more than 100 young people, with some carrying lost luggage labels to highlight how they are being shunted from place to place, will lobby MPs. 

Snapshots from an upcoming report, analysing almost 10,000 responses of children in care in England over the last five years, show that feeling safe and settled where they lived was important to young people’s wellbeing.

One young person who responded said: ‘I just keep being moved around. I have moved I think seven times in the last six months. 

‘This makes me confused and scared. It has been dark and scary when I move, and I am told where, as we drive. I never meet the people beforehand and my things take time to catch up with me.’

The report, set to be published by charity Coram Voice and The Rees Centre at the University of Oxford, found:

• Nearly nine in ten (88%) of those who ‘never’ felt settled also didn’t feel safe where they were living
• One in seven (14%) children in care who had more than five placements did not have a trusted adult in their lives, and fewer young people in care trusted their social workers if they had many changes in placements
• The longer a child spent in care the more likely they were to be unsettled, with about one in ten young people (9%) having eight or more placements if looked after for three or more years
• Not feeling safe or settled in placements was associated with disliking school for children aged four to seven years old

The action in Parliament today has been organised by young people, with the support of a coalition of charities, including Action for Children, Barnardo’s, Become, Coram Voice, National Children’s Bureau, NSPCC and The Children’s Society.

Sir Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, said: ‘For far too long the voices and experiences of children in care have been missing from the decisions that most impact them but today they will ring around the heart of Westminster. 

‘The Care Review was bold because it listened to these voices, and it is now over to Government to show the leadership needed to transform the system to put children first.

‘A system which shifts children from placement to placement isn’t putting children first. We need significant investment in early intervention to realise a revolution in family help. And when children are taken into care, every one of them should benefit from placements that provide the stability and support they need to flourish and live safe, healthy, happy lives.’

Photo by Luke Pennystan