Care leavers' transitions to adulthood

Every year around 10,000 16- to 18-year-olds leave foster or residential care in England. Children in care must leave local authority care by their 18th birthday. Local authorities must support care leavers until they are 21 years old (or 25 if they are in education or training). On leaving care, some young people return home to their families but many start to live independent lives. The government wants to ensure that care leavers get the same care and support that their peers would expect from a reasonable parent, such as help finding a job or setting up home. It also wants them to have the opportunities they need to move successfully to adulthood. This support includes finding them somewhere suitable to live and supporting them into employment, education or training. In 2013 the government published the Care Leaver Strategy. This set out how it planned to improve support for care leavers, including in housing, health, employment and education, by co-ordinating the work of different departments. This audit report examines the support for and challenges facing care leavers, government policy and actions, and progress made in improving outcomes.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less