Care home shortages: London children sent to Scotland

Children in need of care in London are being sent 450 miles away due to lack of care home capacity in England, a report has revealed.

Lewisham Council data shows between December 2021 and September 2022, 12 children were sent to secure welfare facilities outside the capital.

At least three of those children were sent to homes in Scotland.

Severe care home shortages across England are forcing vulnerable children to be sent away for specialist care.

Secure children's home are facilities designed for children aged 10 to 17 who pose a risk to themselves or others. These children may have a history of fleeing from previous care homes or need to be detained as they await trial or sentencing for a crime.

Lewisham and Barnet councils are planning to build London's first secure children's home that will have room to look after up to 24 children.

Led by Barnet Council, the home, expected to open by 2026, is being funded by the Department of Education which has committed £50m.

Lewisham Council will contribute a further £20,000 a year for the upkeep and running of the building.

Under current plans, which are set to be approved at a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Lewisham Council would continue to oversee the running of the home until at least 2028.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service found the cost of building and maintaining a secure children's home was too high for an individual council to shoulder alone. Barnet Council is hopeful other London authorities will join the project.

According to Lewisham Council documents, the average cost of a secure welfare placement in London has increased - from £7,000 a week in 2019, rising to £10,500 a week in 2022. Some local authorities have paid up to £25,000 a week for secure welfare placements in that period.