SCORES of children are being placed in care miles away from there families by BCP Council's social services.

In each of the past three years, the local authority has had at least 80 placements outside of the conurbation.

The data, obtained by the Daily Echo through a Freedom of Information request, also revealed that last year one child was in residential placement in northern Scotland, almost 500 miles from the BCP Council area.

The NSPCC said seperating children from their home area could create "all sorts of dangers", while the council said there were "national sufficiency issues" in provision to meet young people's needs.

Read more: BCP Council children's services 'inadequate' with kids at risk

The FOI data obtained from BCP Council showed there were 81 placements residential care (including residential schools), foster care, semi-independent accommodation, placed with family and friends in 2021/22.

In the two previous years this figure was 94 and 87, respectively.

An NSPCC south west spokesperson said: "Separating children in care from their friends, family and community by moving them away from their home area can carry all sorts of dangers when they are already in a vulnerable position.

"The risk of criminal or sexual exploitation is much higher when a young person who hasn't yet been exposed to that exploitation is disconnected from a vital support network, as well as a larger likelihood that they will go missing.

"Children in care need to be provided with high quality accommodation options close to where they live, apart from when its concluded they will benefit from a move out of the area, and there must be a coordinated effort from both national and local governments to make this happen."

Read more: Full letter Ofsted sent to BCP Council's children's services

Charity Family Rights Group, which tries to work with families before children are taken into care, said the child welfare system is experiencing a "crisis".

Cathy Ashley, chief executive of the organisation, said more young people are now in care than every before.

"We’re seeing more and more children in care being placed far away from people they know and care about, sometimes in very inappropriate placements," Ms Ashley said." And as the cost of living crisis grows, so will the pressure on the child welfare system. We need to address the factors that prevent that children living and thriving with their families.

"Family group conferences can, for example, enable the wider family members to support parents who are struggling, and help them get the public and community services they need. Kinship care arrangements can also help children remain safely within their families network, for example when children cannot remain at home. This needs government investment and commitment.

Read more: BCP Council children's services have 'no quick solutions'

A spokesperson for BCP Council said: "It has been widely acknowledged by local authorities and the national care market (residential, Independent Fostering Agency and semi-independent provision providers) that all are experiencing national sufficiency issues in respect of available provision to meet the needs of young people.

"Despite this national problem, BCP Council continue to work hard to meet all the requirements for children, including some who have highly complex needs."

The council said it has set up a strategy to meet its "sufficiency duty" under the Children Act 1989.

"The strategy sets out how BCP will provide sufficient, safe, secure and sustainable placement provision which includes a campaign to recruit more foster carers and other initiatives to support young people to remain local with wraparound support," the council spokesperson said.

"The required standard as a corporate parent is to ensure that the provision is at the level that professionals would want for their own children or family. Demand pressure and the reality that resources are finite means that sufficiency is a policy imperative."