EFFORTS must be made to stop children being placed in care far from their local communities, a charity has urged, after it was revealed that Cumbria is among the top five areas with the highest rates of 'distant placements'.

Children in care in England are, on average, placed more than 18 miles from home, the Become organisation said, as it warned that in extreme cases some have been moved 500 miles away.

The national charity for children in care and care leavers said those who have just one placement are moved on average 15.8 miles away from home while those who have multiple different placements are placed on average 22.4 miles away from home.

In Cumbria, an FOI revealed it was more common for children in care to be placed more than 20 miles from home than it was for them to be placed within 20 miles of home, the report stated, adding that children in care in Cumbria were more than nine times as likely to be in a distant placement than those in Trafford or Stockton-on-Tees.

READ MORE: Children in care ‘moving between placements a thousand times every week’

Children who are moved more than 20 miles from home are more likely to have lower wellbeing and experience emotional difficulties than children who are placed closer to home, the organisation said.

It said it recognises that for some children it is right for them to be moved away to a different area to ensure their safety, protect them from exploitation, or to move them closer to other family members.

But the charity warned that a lack of suitable places in their local area means more and more children are being moved far away when it is not in their best interests.

It 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 to recognise and register the number of times children are moved inappropriately”.

A joint statement from Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness councils said: "Finding homes for children and young people we care for is never an easy task and there are several factors we must consider before deciding on suitable accommodation.

"However, both the former county council, and the new councils which have replaced it, will always attempt to keep children and young people we care for as close to their own communities as possible.

"The very nature of Cumbria means the population is spread out across a large geographical area, which means it’s more likely children and young people we care for will be accommodated further from their original home compared to other areas. Although this is just one of many possible reasons.

"It’s also increasingly difficult to find suitable homes for children with additional needs who can be supported and provided with the care they need.

"New foster carers in particular are in short supply and we would encourage anyone considering becoming a foster carer to get in touch – even if just to find out more information," they said. 

A DfE spokesperson said: "Every child deserves to live in a safe and stable home and local authorities have a responsibility to place children in an environment that is in their best interests, usually within 20 miles of their home.

“We are investing £259 million to create more placements for children in high-quality and safe homes, while developing a new model for care placements to keep more children close to home networks.”