Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the impact on care leavers of being placed in accommodation in areas other than those in which they were residing while in care.

While the department has not conducted a separate assessment, the needs of care leavers being placed in accommodation out of area are reviewed in line with the Children Act 1989 Guidance (Vol. 3 -planning transition to adulthood for care leavers), which sets out that the assessment and pathway planning process for a care leaver must involve a measured evidence based analysis of the young person’s continuing need for care, accommodation and support.

The expectations also outline that, where there is any proposal for the young person to move to different accommodation, as part of the process to prepare for their transition to adulthood, the pathway plan must include an explicit assessment of the support they need to develop the skills that they will require to be ready for this significant change. The plan must also include a thorough assessment as to the suitability of the potential accommodation for the individual young person.

Through measures in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, the new Staying Close duty will provide support to care leavers up to the age of 25 to help them find and keep suitable accommodation, and to access services relating to health and wellbeing, relationships, education, training and employment, where their welfare requires it.