One in ten children in care in Sheffield bounced between homes

The Children’s Commissioner says local authorities where vulnerable children are frequently moved are failing with apparent poor planning and lack of care.

In Sheffield, 62 children in care were moved between homes at least twice in 2018-19, according to the commissioner’s Stability Index 2020 report.

This number was down from 63 from the year before, and meant 10% of the children in care were moved twice or more in 2018-19.

In Yorkshire and The Humber, York had the highest proportion of children in care living in at least three different homes in 2018-19, at 15%.

The average across England’s local authorities was 10% – a total of 8,100 children.

Carly Speechley, Director of Children and Families at Sheffield City Council said: “Our children’s services work hard to make sure all children and young people that come into our care have the best possible support. We understand that it can be unsettling for a child or young person to move more than necessary and try to prevent this from happening wherever possible. We want them to find stable, safe and secure homes where they can grow and flourish into successful young people and adults and we do everything we can to make that happen.

“Whilst there is still more work to be done, the data doesn't always show the full picture. Children and young people come into care for many different reasons which means that in some cases, placements and moves are unavoidable or could be in their best interest. For example, when a child needs a home in an emergency, they may go to one of our emergency foster carers or our residential homes as a temporary solution until officers can assess their needs, or of course when they move to their new adoptive home. No child in Sheffield is placed in unregulated care settings.

“We are always looking for ways to improve our services. We work in partnership with our Children in Care Council and the Care Leavers Union to listen to the experiences of children and young people in care and their ideas for improving our services – and act on them. We are investing in therapeutic services in our children’s homes, supporting our foster carers by carefully auditing cases and are working to recruit more foster carers and adopters to create further stable placements for children in our care."We welcome scrutiny from the Children’s Commissioner and will work with her to campaign for more funding and support for children and young people in care.

“If you are interested in becoming a foster carer, please get in touch 0114 273 5075.”

Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner, wants councils to spend money on increasing their homes’ capacity to reduce reliance on private operators and bring stability into children’s lives.

She also found a lack of local authority provision has meant, nationally, around one in eight children are now spending time in unregulated accommodation where they faced the risk of exploitation from criminals.

She said: “I am worried the whole system is becoming immune to the devastating effect this is having on children who may have previously been abused and neglected, or have serious mental or physical health needs.

“These children are being failed by the state.”

The Stability Index 2020 also revealed 52 children in care in Sheffield, 12%, lived in at least four different homes over 2017-18 and 2018-19.

This was the same as the national average – nationally, 6,400 children were moved on three or more occasions.

The Department for Education is launching an independently-led Care Review into the children’s social care system.

A spokeswoman said: “The Education Secretary has been clear that no child should be denied the opportunity for a loving, stable family life, or be ‘bounced around’ the care system in accommodation that does not meet their needs.

“We have also set out that children under the age of 16 should not be living in unregulated homes.”

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