Children's care crisis as youngster homelessness sparks 'moral failure' warning

Thousands of young people leaving care are ending up homeless, as MPs warn of a “moral failure” in supporting vulnerable kids.

In a devastating report, MPs on the Commons’ education committee said a third of children who have been in care become homeless within two years of being looked after.

They called for “urgent action to fix this broken system” amid some 39% of care leavers aged 19 to 21 not being in education, training or employment - at a rate three times more likely than their peers.

In a significant breakthrough, the Department for Education has announced a £53million investment to create up to 200 places for vulnerable children in council-run high-quality children’s homes.

Due to a huge shortage in placements, young people have been placed into accommodation that is not registered with Ofsted, and therefore operating illegally, in recent years.

The education committee's report warned of distressing experiences within the care system, including kids being housed in barges, B&Bs and caravans.

Children are also being placed far from their local area, which has “a traumatic and lasting impact on their lives”, they said. This is leading to disruption in young people’s education, kids being separated from the people close to them and an “increased risk” of children in care going missing. The Mirror has launched the Missed campaign calling for better support and care for missing people and their loved ones.

The crisis has also put huge financial pressures on councils, which have been forking out an estimated £440million a year on unregistered placements, with private providers sometimes siphoning off 20% for private profit.

Education committee chairwoman and Labour MP Helen Hayes said: “It is unacceptable that thousands of young people leaving care are being left to face homelessness, unemployment or barriers to education – it is a moral failure. The system that should be supporting our most vulnerable children is far too often abandoning them at a critical moment in their lives.”

Katherine Sacks-Jones, chief executive of Become, a charity for children in care, welcomed the report and said: “Keeping children close to the people and places that matter to them is essential to good care, as is ending the care cliff and the drop-in support when young people turn 18, sometimes younger.”

Children and Families minister Janet Daby said: “The children’s social care system has faced years of drift and neglect, leading to a vicious cycle of late intervention and children falling through the cracks.”

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will give Ofsted stronger powers to impose fines on illegal children’s homes and new powers for the Secretary of State to cap provider profits if excessive profiteering is not brought under control.