The department's figures show that the London Borough of Waltham Foresthas the highest proportion of looked-after children placed more than 20miles from their home address, at 54 per cent. Next highest is NorthYorkshire, at 46 per cent, while the average for England is 18 percent.
Councils in the North East have the lowest proportion of children placedmore than 20 miles from home, at nine per cent. In the North West, whichhas more than three times the number of looked-after children than theNorth East, the figure is 12 per cent.
The figures come a year after the Department for Education and Skillsintroduced a new performance indicator on the proportion of looked-afterchildren placed more than 20 miles from home. The decision provokedfurious debate in the sector with some claiming that it would encouragelocal authorities to move children from stable placements more than 20miles from home to nearer ones when it was not in their best interests.It later emerged that some councils did this (Children Now, 31 August- 6September 2005).
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