This release provides information on children looked after (CLA) (opens in new tab) in England who are placed out of area, their characteristics and their associated outcomes (opens in new tab). Data is taken from the annual SSDA903 data collection which is collected from local authorities in England.
This analysis has been produced to provide additional insight into placements for CLA outside of the LA boundary.
The latest statistics and charts relate to the year ending 31 March 2024 and comparisons are to the year ending 31 March 2023 unless otherwise stated.
Each year local authorities can revise previous years' data. The standard period for data in this release is for the year ending 31 March 2015 to the year ending 31 March 2024.
Data from March 2020 to March 2022 may have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. This potential impact should be taken into consideration when interpreting trends over time.
45%
A steady increase from 40% in 2015
Proportion of CLA that were placed outside of the LA boundary at 31 March 2024
69%
A steady decrease from 76% in 2015
Proportion of CLA that were placed 20 miles or less from home at 31 March 2024
7 miles
Increase from 6 miles in 2015
This accounts for all CLA placed inside or outside the LA boundary
8 miles
Increase from 7 miles in 2015
This takes into account all placements for a child
52%
This relates to foster care with other foster carer
13%
CLA placed outside the LA, outside the neighbouring LAs and over 20 miles from home
The total number of CLA at 31 March has gradually increased over the last ten years from 69,460 in 2015 to 83,760 in 2023, before a minor fall to 83,630 in 2024. This overall upward trend influences the changes observed in the analysis below, which examines CLA in England by location of their placement and distance from home, including trends over time.
Figures below relate to the year ending 31 March 2024 and compare to the year ending 31 March 2023 unless otherwise stated.
Local authorities (LAs) in smaller, urban, and densely populated areas, such as those within Greater London and major UK cities, often place CLA outside their jurisdictional boundaries. In contrast, larger and more rural LAs typically place children within their own boundaries.
LAs located in the South of England and major urban centres tend to report higher proportions of CLA placed outside the LA boundary and over 20 miles from home.
At 31 March 2024, 10,620 (13%) of all CLA were placed ‘outside the neighbouring LAs’ at an average distance of 76 miles. The North West receives a disproportionate proportion of CLA placed ‘outside their neighbouring LAs’ in children’s homes (16% from South West and 11% from South East).
For CLA entering care during 2015-16:
Many of the changes within the release can be explained by the large increase in unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) in recent years. UASC influence many of the changes seen in the figures as they are a distinct cohort with specific characteristics, for example they are generally male, aged 16+ years, with relatively short period of care.
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Download all data available in this release as a compressed ZIP file
All supporting files from this release are listed for individual download below:
A map of England showing whether each LA is an in-placer or an out-placer defined by the net movement of CLA placed inside or outside the LA boundary in 2024.
LAs have a general duty to provide accommodation that is within the local authorities' area, that meets the needs of the child and allows the child to live near their home. Data is collected on whether CLA are placed inside or outside the LA boundary and the distance of the placement from their home address, if known.
At 31 March 2024, LAs in England were responsible for 83,630 CLA. Over time the proportion of CLA placed inside the LA boundary has gradually decreased (from 60% in 2015 to 55% in 2024), and the proportion placed outside the LA boundary has increased (from 40% in 2015 to 45% in 2024).
At 31 March 2024, more than two thirds of CLA (57,770, 69%) are placed 20 miles or less from home. Whilst the proportion has steadily decreased from 76% in 2015, this has actually been a numerical increase from 53,100 in 2015 to 58,250 in 2023 before a small reduction in the most recent year.
Placements where a distance is not known or not recorded has risen from 5% in 2015 to 9% in 2024, numerically this is an increase from 3,550 to 7,830. The increase in unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) over the last 10 years has contributed to this rise, but it could also be because the home address was not known or for reasons of confidentiality.
At 31 March 2024, 18,030 CLA were placed more than 20 miles from their home. Of these 9,090 (11% of all CLA) were placed between 21 and 40 miles from home, and 3,420 (4% of all CLA) were placed between 41 and 60 miles from home. The proportion of children placed further from home generally declines as the distance increases, with most placements occurring within 20 miles.
In 2024, 2,670 (3% of all CLA) were placed over 100 miles from home. Of these, there were 830 (1% of all CLA) placed in foster care with a relative or friend, placed or adoption or placed with parents or other person with parental responsibility — arrangements considered appropriate for their circumstances.
The distribution of placement distances has remained broadly consistent since 2015.
At 31 March, the proportion of CLA placed inside the LA boundary and within 20 miles has steadily decreased from 53% in 2015 to 47% in 2024. However, in numerical terms, this represents an increase from 37,080 to 39,060.
During the same period, the most notable change was observed for CLA who were placed outside the LA boundary and over 20 miles away, rising from 14% to 17%, which corresponds to a numerical increase from 9,960 to 14,590.
Additionally, the proportion of all CLA where the distance was not known or recorded has increased from 5% in 2015 to 9% in 2024, likely due to the growing proportion of UASC.
At 31 March, the average placement distance for all CLA remained stable at 6 miles from 2015 to 2022, before increasing slightly to 7 miles in the last two years.
The average placement distance for CLA placed inside the LA boundary remained consistent at 3 miles over the last ten years.
There has been a gradual increase in the average placement distance for CLA placed outside the LA boundary, rising from 13 miles in 2015 to 16 miles in 2024. This suggests a trend toward CLA being further away from home when placed outside the LA boundary.
This section uses the same methodology presented within the recent Stability measures for children looked after in England publication.
CLA with more placements tend to be placed slightly further from home, measured both on the mean and median averages. There was a gradual increase over time in both mean and median average distances across all groups.
The gap between mean and median average distances indicates that most children are placed relatively close to home, however there is a small number of longer distance placements pulling the mean average up.
The average median distance for CLA with a differing number of placements has remained largely consistent from 2015 to 2024. In the past ten years:
A local authority should prioritise placements closer to home first but when the placement breaks down, they may have to look further afield for a suitable placement. However, it can also result in a child being placed closer to friends and relatives who are now in a position to look after them.
In line with the increase of CLA from 69,460 in 2015 to 83,630 in 2024, there has been a general upward trend in number of placements during this period.
The number of CLA placed more than 20 miles from home in their first or only placement rose steadily from 11,160 in 2015 to 16,670 in 2024. However, the number CLA placed more than 20 miles in their second, third or subsequent placement remained relatively stable during this with slight increases of 1,420 and 1,200 respectively.
It became illegal for young people to be placed in former semi-independent and independent living placements from 28 October 2023. Between 28 April 2023 and 27 October 2023 former semi-independent and independent living placement providers were required to submit a completed application to Ofsted to continue to operate as a supported accommodation provider beyond that date. Young people who were placed at providers who are not registered with Ofsted or had not submitted a completed application by the deadline are reported within the 'Other' category in the 2024 data.
There were some difficulties in reporting the transition to supported accommodation in the data collection in 2024, users should be cautious when interpreting and drawing conclusions from the figures. For further information please see the methodology document that accompanies the Children looked after in England including adoptions release.
At 31 March 2024, 52% of CLA who were placed outside the LA boundary were in foster care with other foster carers. The second and third highest proportions were in secure homes and children's homes (16%) and foster care with a relative or friend (12%), respectively.
LAs have a general duty to place CLA near their home but placing CLA outside the LA boundary in foster care with a relative or friend, with parents or other person with parental responsibility or for adoption may be in the best interests of the child. In 2024, there were 6,880 CLA (8% of all CLA) placed outside the LA boundary in these three placement types, representing nearly one-fifth of all placements outside the LA boundary.
At 31 March 2024, of CLA placed for adoption, 80% (1,520) are placed outside the LA boundary, representing the highest proportion among all placement types. Residential schools and other residential settings had the second highest proportion of CLA placed outside the LA boundary, at 73% (990), followed by secure homes and children’s homes with 68% (5,860).
Conversely, CLA placed with parents or other person with parental responsibility were most likely to remain inside the LA boundary, with only 19% (1,000) placed outside followed by children in foster care with relative or friend.
The average referred to in this section is the median — the middle value in a sorted list of numbers — which is used to reduce the influence of extreme values.
CLA in foster care and in supported accommodation were placed 6 miles from home on average in 2024, and this has remained consistent over time.
The average distance for children placed in secure homes and children's homes increased from 18 miles in 2015 to a peak of 22 miles in 2020, before decreasing slightly to 20 miles in 2024.
There has been a reduction in the average distance for children placed in residential settings from 30 miles in 2016 to 23 miles in 2024.
The rise in ‘other placement’ in the latest year is likely attributable to the introduction of supported accommodation providers being required to register with Ofsted.
The average distance for CLA placed for adoption has slightly increased from 17 miles in 2015 to 24 miles in 2024.
The average placement distance for all other placement types have been consistent over the last 10 years.
Foster placements can either be with foster carers who are not related to the child or with individuals who have a pre-existing relationship with the child, such as family members or close family friends.
CLA placed in foster care with a relative or friend are more likely to be placed closer to home than those placed in foster care with other foster carers.
For CLA in a foster placements with a relative or friend, the proportions have remained consistent in the last 10 years but there has been a small increase in those placed outside the LA boundary, rising from 29% in 2015 to 32% in 2024.
In the same period, CLA in foster placements with other foster carers have seen a bigger increase in the proportion placed outside the LA boundary, rising from 38% in 2015 to 45% in 2024. This increase is driven by those placed outside the LA boundary and more than 20 miles from home, increasing from 10% (4,490) in 2015 to 15% (6,430) in 2024.
The numbers and proportion of CLA within each placement type over the last ten years can be found within the additional supporting data files.
When a child enters the care system, the LA becomes legally responsible for their welfare, and must find a home for the child that will best meet their individual needs. If the LA decides that fostering is most appropriate, then they will find a fostering home for the child, by matching them with suitable carers. There are two ways that LAs can find a suitable foster carer:
- By matching them with foster carers who have been approved and registered with the LA. This can includes kinship foster carers, who have a pre-existing relationship with the child.
- By matching them with carers who have been approved and registered with an independent fostering agency (IFA). This is a separate organisation that has been registered with Ofsted. You can find out more about how IFAs are registered here: Introduction to independent fostering agencies - GOV.UK (opens in new tab)
Some of the reasons why a LA might match a child with IFA foster carers include:
- They do not have enough of their own foster carers to care for the child
- They think the child has specific or complex needs that they do not think they can meet with their own carers
- They think the IFA may be able to provide more suitable care for the child's specific needs
Between 2015 and 2024, the total number of CLA in foster care has increased from 51,570 (74% of all CLA) to a peak of 57,190 in 2022 before a slight decrease to 56,390 (67% of all CLA) in 2024. Over the same period, the number of children in foster care placed within 20 miles of their home has increased from 42,180 in 2015 to 44,930 in 2021 before declining to 42,810 in the latest year.
In the last ten years, placements through LA fostering agencies have reduced by 660, while placements via IFAs have increased by 32% from 17,040 to 22,520.
The number of CLA in LA fostering placements with a relative or friend which are less than 20 miles from home has increased from 6,810 in 2015 to 10,440 in 2024. Conversely, the number of CLA in a LA fostering placement with other foster carers and 20 miles or less from home has decreased from 23,380 in 2015 to 17,790 in 2024.
The overall increase in the number of CLA over the past ten years has contributed to the upward trend observed in fostering placements over 20 miles from home, including those with IFAs.
Over the past ten years, the majority of the CLA population have been male, rising from 55% in 2015 to 57% in 2024, at 31 March. Males are over-represented in the population of children looked after compared to 51% of the overall child population, as indicated by the latest ONS mid-year population estimates. (opens in new tab)
Females are slightly more likely to be placed inside the LA boundary, with 57% in 2024 compared to 53% of males. This trend has remained consistent over the past five years. Additionally, females are more likely to be placed within 20 miles from home, with 77% in 2024 compared to 63% of males.
Since 2015, there has been an increasing proportion of placements for males where the distance is not known or not recorded, this has risen from 7% in 2015 to 15% in 2024. In contrast, this proportion has decreased from 2% to 1% for females over the same period. This trend is likely attributable to the increasing number of UASC, where 96% were male in 2024.
The CLA population is aging and those aged 10 and over now comprising the majority, accounting for 65% in 2024 which is an increase from 60% in 2015.
As of 31 March 2024, CLA across all age categories were more likely to be placed inside the LA boundary. Children aged under 1 year old were most likely to be placed inside the LA boundary, with 62% (2,300) placed inside the LA boundary and 38% (1,440) placed outside.
In general, younger children are more likely to be placed inside the LA boundary and older children, particular those aged 10 and over, are slightly more likely to be placed outside.
At 31 March 2024, nearly one-third (29%) of CLA aged 16 years or over had a placement distance that was not known or not recorded, this represents a notable increase from 14% in 2015. The rise is likely to be influenced by the growing number of UASC during this period, who are typically aged 16 and over.
With the exception mentioned above, the proportions for all age groups have been largely consistent for both distance locality measures since 2015.
Over the past decade, the ethnic composition of the CLA population has shifted. The proportion of CLA from White ethnic backgrounds has decreased from 77% to 71%, while the proportion of CLA from all other ethnic groups has increased. Children from Mixed ethnic groups were over-represented and children from Asian ethnic groups were under- represented (opens in new tab) in the numbers of CLA compared to the overall child population.
At 31 March 2024, 58% of White CLA were placed inside the LA boundary — the highest proportion of any ethnic group. In contrast, Black, African, Caribbean or Black British are most likely to be placed outside the LA boundary (56%). CLA from the remaining ethnic groups show a more balanced distribution with CLA in ‘Other ethnic group’ having a slight majority placed outside the LA boundary (53%).
CLA classed as White or Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups were most likely to be placed less than 20 miles from home, at 74% and 76% respectively.
UASC are placed across a range of ethnic categories other than White.
The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) is a behavioural screening questionnaire. Its primary purpose is to give social workers and health professionals information about a child’s wellbeing. A score of 0 to 13 is considered normal, 14 to 16 is borderline, and 17 to 40 is a cause for concern.
In 2024, a SDQ score was reported for 43,540 CLA who were aged 5 to 16 years. Over the past ten years, regardless of placement location or distance, the proportion of CLA with SDQ scores indicating cause for concern has increased from 27% in 2015 to 32% in 2024.
At 31 March 2024, across all categories of SDQ scores, there were marginally more children residing inside the LA boundary than outside. 56% of CLA with a normal SDQ score were placed inside the LA boundary, but there was little difference between the other SDQ score groups.
In 2024, over two thirds of children were placed within 20 miles of their home across all SDQ categories. CLA whose SDQ score was normal were less likely to placed further from home, with only 20% (3,133 children) over 20 miles from home.
Children were more likely to have a SDQ score not recorded (4%) or recorded as normal (4%) when their distance was not known or recorded. The majority of CLA with a distance not known or not recorded are UASC.
The 2024 distance group proportions for each SDQ score category have been broadly consistent since 2015.
In 2023/24, the percentage of CLA with SEN provision placed outside the LA boundary was very similar to that of all CLA at 31 March and those CLA placed within the LA boundary. However, it was more than three times higher than the percentage observed in the overall pupil population.
UASC are children, who have applied for asylum in their own right and are separated from both parents and/or any other responsible adult. Local authorities have a legal duty to provide accommodation for these children. Details of the National Transfer Scheme (NTS) can be found in the methodology section of the Children looked after publication.
The total number of UASC has increased from 2,760 in 2015 to a peak of 7,410 in 2023, and remained stable at 7,380 in 2024. Within this UASC cohort, 96% were male and only 11% were aged under 16 years.
The proportion of UASC placed outside the LA boundary increased from 46% (1,260) in 2015 to 47% (2,670) in 2022. Notably, since 2023, a higher proportion of UASC are now placed outside the LA boundary. In 2024, this figure increased to 53%, representing 3,890 children. This shift coincides with an overall increase in the total number of UASC.
At 31 March 2024, the two most common placement types for UASC were independent and semi-independent living arrangements / supported accommodation and foster care with other foster carers. The placements for UASC tend to reflect the fact that they are older.
Of the 3,280 UASC placed in independent and semi-independent living arrangements / supported accommodation, the majority (1,810) were placed inside the LA boundary, compared to outside (1,470).
In contrast, of the 2,650 UASC in foster care with other foster carers, the majority were placed outside the LA boundary (1,830), compared to inside (820).
In 2024, there were 7,830 CLA with a distance not known or not recorded, of which 94% (7,380) were UASC.
UASC as a proportion of all children looked after whose placement distance was not known or recorded, has remained broadly consistent between 88-94% since 2016.
A local authority (LA) is classified as an ‘out-placer’ if it has more CLA placed in other LAs than it has CLA from other LAs placed within its boundary. Conversely, an LA is considered an ‘in-placer’ if it has more CLA from other LAs placed within its jurisdiction than it places in other LAs. If the difference between the two cohorts is within ±5%, the LA is categorised as ‘about the same’.
Local authorities (LAs) in smaller, urban, and densely populated areas, such as those within Greater London and major UK cities, often place CLA outside their jurisdictional boundaries (but mostly within the geographical region). In contrast, larger and more rural LAs typically place children within their own boundaries.
There is also a group of LAs in the East of England and East Midlands regions that are classified as out-placers.
The table below presents the 2024 data for the number and proportion of CLA who were placed outside the LA boundary and over 20 miles.
Overall, LAs located in the South of England and major urban centres tend to report higher proportions of CLA placed outside the LA boundary and over 20 miles from home. This trend may reflect variations in LA capacity and the differing logistical and financial considerations associated with placements in urban and rural settings.
In this section, CLA defined as placed ‘outside the neighbouring LAs’ when all three of the following placement criteria are met:
- Placed outside the responsible LA, where their home address is located
- Placed outside the neighbouring LAs that share a physical border with the responsible LA
- Placed over 20 miles from their home address
For example, a child living in Plymouth could be placed in either of the neighbouring LAs Devon or Cornwall. If placed outside of this vicinity, additional travel time and costs may be incurred for friends or relatives wishing to maintain regular contact, which should be considered as part of the placement planning process to support the child’s welfare and continuity of relationships.
At 31 March 2024, there were 10,620 CLA placed ‘outside the neighbouring LAs’ with an average distance of 76 miles, this is 13% of all CLA. Of these children:
Within the group of CLA placed ‘outside neighbouring LAs’, foster care with other foster carers and children's homes represent the two largest placement groups. This section will investigate each of them separately and explore where children are placed based on the region their home address is located (origin) and the region of their placement (destination).
As reported in Ofsted’s ‘Main findings: children’s social care in England 2025’ (opens in new tab) publication, at 31 March 2025 the North West had the most children’s homes (1,020) and places (3,210). London had the fewest homes (250) and the South West had the fewest places (790). However, the North West receives a disproportionate proportion of CLA placed ‘outside their neighbouring LAs’ in children’s homes:
Despite being at opposite ends of the country, LAs in the South East place 11% of all CLA in children’s homes 'outside neighbouring LAs' in the North West compared to only 6% in the South West, which is a geographical neighbour.
Among CLA whose home address is in London, only 3% of CLA placed ‘outside the neighbouring LAs’ remain in this region, indicating a reliance on external regions with 34% placed in South East and 21% in East of England as the highest two proportions.
Of the CLA who are placed ‘outside the neighbouring LAs’ and in a children's home, when the placement destination is:
However, when East of England is the destination, 25% of CLA are originally from London and 29% from South East, compared to 14% from that region. Similarly when South East is the destination, 33% of CLA are originally from London compared to 29% from that region. This indicates a reliance from London on the neighbouring regions.
There are 480 CLA placed in children's homes in the North West who are not originally from that region, this is the highest total across all regions. London is the lowest with just 90 CLA from other regions.
Whilst CLA may be placed ‘outside the neighbouring LAs’, every region except London places the highest proportion within the same region. London places 56% of CLA in foster care with other foster carer in South East England, compared to only 5% inside London.
Among CLA whose home address is in South East England and who are placed ‘outside the neighbouring LAs’ in foster care with other foster carer, 37% remain within the South East and 21% are placed in the East of England. Only 7% are placed in the West Midlands and North West England combined, suggesting there is no such trend from South East England to the North West for foster placements with other foster carer, possibly due to availability. London and the South West, both neighbouring regions, are the next highest proportions of children's destinations are 16% and 14% respectively.
The majority of regions tend to place children in neighbouring regions, but in particular the West Midlands and East Midlands appear to share capacity and resources more than most.
Of the CLA who are placed ‘outside the neighbouring LAs’ and in a foster placement with other foster carer, the placement destinations of those CLA are predominately from the same region — notably the North West (72%) and Yorkshire and the Humber (67%).
However, when the South East and the East of England are the placement destinations, the highest proportion of CLA are coming from the London region, at 48% and 37% respectively.
When London is the placement destination, the highest proportion come from the South East (44%) and only 14% are originally based in the London region.
This section examines children who began receiving care during the 2015-16 period and tracks their journey through the system until 31st March 2024. The statistics emphasise their experiences with outside the LA boundary placements throughout this eight-year period.
Episode of care: When a change in legal status or placement (or both) occurs, a new episode of care is started and the date and reason for the change are recorded.
Period of care refers to the duration during which a child is looked after by a LA. This includes both children who newly enter care and those whose care arrangements are transferred between LAs. Where the care of a young person is transferred between LAs, the initial period of care ceases and a new period of care will start at the LA the child transfers to.
The first instance where a child had an outside the LA boundary placement was used to determine:
The re-entry to care measure considers CLA who left that period of care from an outside the LA boundary placement (not necessarily their first outside the LA boundary placement) and determined whether they re-entered care during the subsequent eight-year follow-up period.
For CLA who entered care during 2015-16, of those who had at least one placement outside the LA boundary in their period of care:
The proportions above have remained consistent when comparing against the 2014-15 cohort up to 2022-23.
The majority of children that entered care in 2015-16 who were placed outside the LA boundary, moved into that placement quickly.
For children who started to be looked after during 2015-16:
The proportions above have remained consistent when comparing against the 2014-15 cohort up to 2022-23.
Among the CLA who left a period of care outside the LA boundary, the majority (92%) did not re-enter care during the follow-up period. The length of the follow-up varied depending on each child's age and the time remaining before they transitioned out of the care system. This compares to 90% for all CLA. Therefore, CLA placed outside the LA boundary are slightly less likely to re-enter care.
The proportion of children re-entering care is influenced by their age at the end of the episode of care, as older children will ‘age out’ of the care system quicker. The age distribution for the CLA placed outside the LA boundary is broadly similar to that of all CLA.
Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.
Ad hoc official statistics are one off publications that have been produced as far as possible in line with the Code of Practice for Statistics.
This can be broadly interpreted to mean that these statistics are:
Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance (opens in new tab).
If you have a specific enquiry about Children looked after: A focus on placement location statistics and data:
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