She said: "These children are under the guardianship of the State, the Government should be ashamed that it is failing them so badly. Parents agree to the placement because they believe their children will be safe, this data proves that assumption is wrong.

“I have been concerned for some time that cuts to Local Authority funding has led to the closure of council care homes, with vulnerable children being placed in private placements.

“Children going missing is a key indicator of child sexual exploitation so needs to be taken very seriously. Instead, ‘going missing’ is often put down to the child being difficult and therefore ignored by the authority. The number of children who are repeatedly going missing makes me concerned that they are either deeply unhappy, or being exploited. ”

Between the 1980s and 2010s, Rotherham in South Yorkshire saw the sexual exploitation of an estimated 1,400 children, with 24 people sentenced since 2015. Earlier this month Sheffield City Council was accused of “turning a blind eye” to child sex abuse in the city .

Theresa May launched an independent inquiry into allegations of sexual abuse when she was Home Secretary, vowing to end the "culture of inaction and denial" around child exploitation.

Children in care are more likely to be dragged into a life of crime and are six times more likely to be cautioned or convicted, with 27 per cent of the prison population coming from the care system.

Only 6 per cent of those in care go on to further education, compared to 49 per cent of the rest of the population.

An NSPCC spokesman said: “It is deeply concerning that so many children are going missing from care placements which are supposed to keep them safe, with a significant number of children going missing from care more than once, or for days at a time.

“Strong relationships and information-sharing between children’s service and the police are necessary to help safeguard vulnerable children, and ensure we see fewer going missing from care.”