Published on
9 December 2024
Summary
There are over 80,000 children in the care system in England and every year around 13,000 young people leave care.
The state has a special responsibility towards care leavers, with local authorities being the ‘corporate parent’. However, on average, compared with the general population, care leavers have poorer physical and mental health, worse educational outcomes, and are more likely to become homeless than their peers.
This briefing sets out the key actions each government department could take to transform outcomes for care leavers.