Children sent to live in boats and caravans as care system ‘is overwhelmed’

Katharine Sacks-Jones, Chief Executive of Become, said the number of children in care in England reached a record high of almost 84,000 last year, there “aren't enough places for them to live” and a national strategy is urgently needed to address the shortage.

She said councils are also “desperately” competing for places at privately-run children’s homes and paying “huge” fees.

It comes after a Yorkshire Post investigation revealed councils across the county have used unregulated accommodation, where there are no minimum standards or inspections, and some had placed children in boats, caravans and tents.

Ms Sacks-Jones said if this accommodation is being used as a stop gap there are “questions over whether that's genuinely in the child's best interest”.

“We've got a system which is just not working and we're really letting down very vulnerable children. It should be something that we're all talking about,” she said.

“It's just not good enough, not good enough at all. We've seen children sent to other parts of the country, away from their brothers and sisters and away from school.

“We're seeing children move frequently from place to place, often with absolutely no notice.”

Responding to a freedom of information (FOI) request, Leeds Council revealed it had placed 48 children in unregulated accommodation since 2018. Eleven in caravans, six in boats or barges and six in tents.

The council said they “were not being housed there” and it “occasionally” pays specialist companies to provide outdoor activities and holiday accommodation.

York Council said it sent at least one child was sent to live in a caravan during the pandemic until “appropriate longer-term” accommodation was found.

Wakefield Council sent one child to live in a caravan in 2022-23 and Rotherham Council placed one on a boat in 2020-21. Neither provided an explanation.

The councils in Bradford, Barnsley, East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull, Kirklees and North Yorkshire stated they have placed children in unregulated accommodation since 2018, but never used boats, barges or caravans.

Calderdale said it has not used any unregulated accommodation since 2018 and Sheffield refused to respond to the FOI request.

The government banned the use of unregulated accommodation for children under 16 in 2021. It then banned unregulated placements for all children under 18 last year, claiming all accomodation will undergo Ofsted inspections.

But those regulations also state “mobile or non-permanent settings” like boats, barges and caravans can be used in “very exceptional individual circumstances”.