New research suggests that the most vulnerable children in England and Wales are being sent tosecure children’s homes in Scotland, an average of 353 miles away from their homes, family and friends, when places can’t be found for them locally.
At any one time around 25 children or more from England and Wales are living in secure care in Scotland. The new study, published by Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, suggests that they are the most vulnerable of an already vulnerable group of children, having experienced more serious difficulties – such as neglect, abuse, mental health problems, criminal and sexual exploitation – in childhood than children placed in secure homes in England.
