Care leavers face ‘sharp challenges’ in the transition to adulthood

Posted on March 27, 2023

Care leavers in England are more than ten times more likely than their peers not to be working or studying in their 21st year, new research has revealed.

Over two-thirds were in precarious roles that were short-term or part-time

Researchers from the universities of York, Oxford and Exeter showed that almost a third of care leavers were not working or studying, compared with just 2.4 per cent of comparable young people who had never experienced the child care system.

Most of them were defined as “economically inactive” due to disability (including mental health problems) or caregiving responsibilities. Among care leavers who did work, over two-thirds were in precarious roles that were short-term, part-time or poorly paid.

Remove barriers

Jo Dixon, from the University of York’s School of Business and Society, said: “More can be done to remove barriers and disincentives to work for young people with care experience, including addressing the impact of low minimum wage rates for those employed under 23 and apprentices who are without parental support and are financially responsible for rent and living costs.

“There is now scope to implement dedicated and supported work-related opportunities specifically for young people with care experience. Guaranteed interviews, targeted and supported work experience schemes and dedicated work opportunities should be offered.

“Using corporate parenting and corporate social responsibility in this way will benefit young people with care experience and the local labor market.”

Level of need

The researchers used data including the recently available Longitudinal Educational Outcomes, or LEO, data set for young people born between September 1, 1995 and August 31, 1996.

A total of 3,850 of the 530,440 individuals had left care and 28,810 had some experience of the child welfare system. They also interviewed 28 care leavers and 41 professionals in five local authorities, including personal counsellors, members of the care leaver team, virtual school staff and carers.

The research shows a strong link between economic inactivity and higher levels of special educational needs during Key Stage 4, including attendance at a special school. This was particularly pronounced for care leavers, of whom 62.4 per cent were identified as having a high level of need.

Legacy

Neil Harrison, from the University of Exeter, said: “This is the first study of its kind to examine over time what happens to care leavers and other young people with care experience in early adulthood. We have been able to document the acute challenges they face in making positive transitions to stability and well-being.

“What we see clearly in the data is that the legacy of earlier disadvantages, such as childhood trauma or school failure, is cemented in early adulthood. While about a quarter of care leavers were have access to higher education or stable employment by the age of 21St year, the majority relied on benefits or precarious employment.

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Good GCSE grades – particularly in English and maths – had a very strong role in determining the further pathways available. However, many care leavers have not been able to achieve as high as they could because of what was going on in their lives.

Interviewees said that the support of extended family and other social networks was essential for finding work and transitioning to adult life.

Care leavers and professionals report practical barriers to accessing youth employment schemes such as Kickstart. They supported the provision of preferential access to work opportunities by councils to care leavers as part of their ‘corporate parenting’ responsibilities.

Recommendations from the study, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, include:

• Ensuring stable pathways for young people into (and back into) education and training after 16
• The National Government should provide additional ‘top-up’ funding for care leavers to take part in apprenticeships and other schemes to ensure they are not financially disadvantaged
• Young people leaving care between the ages of 14 and 16 should be considered an ‘at risk’ group in terms of the complex transitions into adulthood.
• Stronger links with local employers to improve young people’s knowledge of the range of opportunities available to them.
• Targeted pre-employment and apprenticeship support to prepare young people with the most complex needs to take steps towards work-related opportunities.
• Education providers and employers need to be more aware of the trauma and mental health needs of care leavers and other young people with care experiences.

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