Hundreds of children in York are being looked after by the council, figures show, while dozens of families with children faced the prospect of homelessness this festive season.

While many of us will be tightening our belts this winter, charities are urging the public to give what they can – as thousands of young people across the country face a tough New Year.

Figures from the Department for Education show 277 children were being looked after by the City of York Council as of the end of March.

Of these, 205 (74 per cent) may have spent Christmas in foster care, and 17 (six per cent) in secure units, children's homes or semi-independent accommodation.

The same data shows there were 135 children under 10 years old being looked after by the council, and eight unaccompanied asylum seekers.

Imran Hussain, director of policy and campaigns at Action for Children, said Christmas can be "lonely and isolating" for children in care.

“Away from their families and their friends, often in places far from home; many will not have happy memories of Christmas,” he added.

Across the country, more than 80,000 children are being looked after by their local authority.

Two-thirds find themselves in the care of the council having suffered abuse or neglect – and the DfE’s figures show 212 did so in York.

Mr Hussain continued: “The best way to ensuring more children have safe and happy Christmases is to fix the care system.

“We need to see a big switch from a system geared to putting children into care, to a system geared to preventing the need for children to go into care in the first place,” he added.

Danielle Johnson, director of safeguarding (children), City of York Council, said: "Children in Care live with foster carers or within other appropriate accommodation depending on their needs.

"Each young person is allocated a social worker to support them and co-ordinate their care.

"We are always looking for more foster carers to support children and young people in York."

This Christmas, Action for Children was asking people to donate to buy a healthy breakfast, warm clothes or a Christmas gift for a vulnerable child as part of their ‘Secret Santa’ campaign.

Up and down the country, many children will also spend the festive season facing the prospect of homelessness, or in temporary accommodation.

The most recent available figures from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities show 24,290 households with children received homelessness duties across the country between April and June – including 47 in York.

Kiran Ramchandani, director of policy and external affairs at the charity Crisis, said: “Every child should have a safe place to call home.

“Yet with living costs continuing to rise at rapid rates and a severe lack of affordable housing, many families could be forced into homelessness and face spending years living in temporary accommodation.”

Nationally, more than 120,000 children were in temporary accommodation as of the end of June, with 47 of them in York.

Ms Ramchandani urged the Government to raise the housing benefit and deliver "genuinely affordable" homes, or else risk more families being forced into homelessness this winter.

A spokesperson for the Department for Education said every child "deserves a safe and secure home".

They continued: “Local authorities have a responsibility to provide appropriate care for all children in their care.”

“We are supporting them by investing millions to create high-quality, safe homes for children - and removing barriers and reducing delays in adoption and improving the recruitment of foster carers,” they added.

To find out more about how you could change a young person’s life visit www.york.gov.uk/fostering or call 01904 555678.