What can we do to improve the experiences of young people leaving care? For Care Leavers Week, Research in Practice resources explore the conditions needed for care leavers to thrive.
Growing numbers of young people are remaining in their family home for longer due to a range of pressures. Those in care however, are expected to become independent before they feel ready and without traditional family ties - known as the ‘care cliff’.
A new blog introduces an evaluation of ‘Staying Put’ which allows young adolescents to remain with their foster carers. This offers stability and improves employment opportunities. It is an important requirement as care experienced people remain likely to have contact with the criminal justice system. New videos explore the relationship between care experience, ethnicity and youth justice – including lived experience of Black care leavers.
A further report from Coram Voice outlines some of the issues faced by those in the care system with disabilities and aims to address known gaps in the data. A final blog sheds light on being a young care leaver in 2024. It presents findings from a co-produced study of 200 young people that found that 62% were not aware of the support available and what is required. These challenges were recently explored in a podcast series and blog on care leavers mental health.
It is crucial to support care experienced young people today, and those who will leave care in the future. The following resources aim to support care leavers to thrive.
Staying Put: Supporting care leavers at risk of homelessness
Whilst the majority can rely on their family ties for support, young people leaving care are known to be at higher risk of homelessness than their peers without care experience. An evaluation of ‘Staying Put’ looks at how we can support adolescents to stay with their foster carers.
The Radiator Key challenge: Changing the experience of care leavers
It is important that we recognise the challenges faced by care leavers and acknowledge the power we have to change policy and practice. New research and findings from Catch 22 paint a picture of what it is like being a care experienced young person in 2024.
Intersecting inequalities: Child social care involvement and youth justice
Young people with care experience are more likely to have contact with the criminal justice system. These videos discuss how contact with the criminal justice system differs across different levels of children’s social care support and outcomes.
Disability, Disparity, and Demand: Children in care and care leavers
Research focusing on children and young people with disabilities in the care system remains scarce. The data is problematic, and the voices of children and young people are frequently missing. A new report from Coram Voice outlines some of the issues.
Meeting the mental health and wellbeing needs of care leavers
It’s important to ensure that care leavers have access to appropriate, trauma-informed mental health and wellbeing support when they need it. A new blog explores the challenges many care leavers face when faced with the 'care cliff' and what can be done.
Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of care leavers
A series of five open access podcasts examine support for care leavers’ mental health and wellbeing. The first three episodes explore good practice in three services - this is followed by episodes that hear from care experienced young people and messages from recent research.
