In Northern Ireland the number of looked after children and care leavers has risen steadily over the past number of years. As of March 2016, 1,475 young people were entitled to access leaving and aftercare services (HSCB, 2016).
For many their earlier childhood experiences will have been marked by adversity, trauma and neglect, and for some the care journey may not have compensated them for past difficulties. Many care leavers continue to experience significant challenges as they transition from care including experiences of marginalisation and stigmatisation. The Access All Areas (NI) coalition is an alliance of organisations working with 16 plus care leavers and was inspired by Access All Areas England and the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant.
In this report, the coalition worked to identify and agree six overarching recommendations to guide all government departments and their associated agencies in their role as corporate parents.