Dozens of children in care have been placed more than 20 miles away from home in York, new figures show.
City of York Council’s boss for children and education said the authority remains “relentlessly ambitious for all young people to be placed with or very close to their family”.
A children's charity has said the care system is "on its knees" and is not meeting the needs of young people.
Figures from the Department for Education show 243 children in care in York as of March – 57 (23 per cent) of whom were placed more than 20 miles from home.
A year earlier 63 of 263 (24 per cent) children were away from home.
Martin Kelly, corporate director of children and education at City of York Council, told The Press: “Within the 23 per cent cohort of young people in care who are living more than 20 miles from the city, 40 per cent are living with their family members, with a small number placed for adoption.
“Although we perform exceptionally well in this area in comparison to the national picture, we remain relentlessly ambitious for all young people to be placed with or very close to their family.”
Katharine Sacks-Jones, chief executive of Become – a charity for children and young people in care – said children being moved due to a lack of suitable homes nearby is "simply not good enough".
"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 said.
"We’ve heard time and again from children in care the devasting impact this has when they are separated from brothers and sisters and pulled out of their school, which often happens without warning and sometimes multiple times a year," she added.
Ms Sacks-Jones urged the government to take "decisive action" to stop these numbers getting worse.
We're determined to reform children's social care, says Department for Education
A Department for Education spokesperson said they want to make sure every child has the opportunities they need to thrive.
"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,” they said.
"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."
Recommended reading:
- Fewer children in care in York - but North Yorkshire sees rise to 501
- Plans to help York care leavers avoid 'cliff edge'
- Dozens of homeless children in York housed in temporary accommodation, figures show
Mr Kelly said City of York Council welcomed the "national focus on the need for safe loving foster homes" and urged anyone who may be interested in becoming a foster carer to get in touch.
“I would also like to thank the very many carers, both family and local authority, for the incredible work they do to support children in the city,” he added.
“It is very difficult to think of a greater contribution than providing a lifeline to a child, helping them to have the very best start.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here