Care leavers

Care leavers are young people aged over 16 who have been in local authority care, some for all of their childhood, and have subsequently left the care system or are in the process of doing so.

Our policy asks

We believe that we all have a responsibility to enable care leavers, many of whom have had very difficult experiences as children, to have excellent opportunities as they make the transition into independent adult life. Having appropriate support, access to meaningful education, training and good quality work is crucial in enabling care leavers to achieve their potential. We want care leavers to have:

  • Consistent and high-quality pathway planning, that is focussed on their individual needs, aspirations and circumstances.
  • Access to pre-apprenticeship and pre-employment programmes that enable them to develop the skills, experience and attributes that employers are looking for in young recruits.
  • A liveable wage, as an apprentice or employee, that enables them to live independently.

What are the challenges?

  • Young people who have been in care are almost guaranteed to live in poverty. 84 per cent leave school without five good GCSEs.
  • 70 per cent of sex workers were once in care. Care leavers are four times more likely to commit suicide than anyone else.
  • But these outcomes aren’t inevitable. With high-quality and tailored support, they can and do achieve highly.
Care leavers and looked after children in England

Relevant resources

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Why are care leavers important to us?

We believe that we all have a responsibility to enable care leavers, many of whom have had very difficult experiences as children, to have  excellent opportunities as they make the transition into independent adult life. Having appropriate support to access meaningful education, training and work opportunities can be key for care leavers to achieve their goals and ambitions in life.

Want to know more?

For further about our social justice and inclusion work contact: Nicola Aylward, head of learning for young people
nicola.aylward@learningandwork.org.uk @NicolaJAylward