ted out of their own local area, leading to families being moved away from formal and informal support networks and local connections to parts of the country where accommodation is less expensive, including the few outer London authorities where housing was comparatively cheaper than in inner boroughs. In all, 78.9% of those accommodated out of area were from London authorities, (MHCLG, 2024). Recent research demonstrates that the number of homeless households placed out of area is ‘severely undercounted’ in government data and evidences the over-representation of Black and minority ethnic households in out-of-area placements (Iafrati et al., 2024). Twenty-nine per cent of SP9 survey respondents noted increased safeguarding activity with families that had recently moved into their area with no previous contact with statutory services. Respondents from some cities described rapid inward movement of families from overseas leading to changes in the local demographic profile of an area and increased demand for services. Respondents described children’s services staff needing professional development to work confidently with families whose first languages and cultural norms regarding parenting were unfamiliar. Where a child or family is receiving services or is the subject of a section 47 enquiry, formal transfer processes should be followed, with responsibility remaining with the originating authority until transfer is completed. Some DCSs described instances where an originating authority closed cases before families were relocated or delayed notifying the receiving authority. Insufficient, inconsistent notification systems impacted on the ability of families to access services swiftly. Particular concerns were raised by respondents about two groups – unborn babies and you