More than a third of care leavers feel that they left care too
early, according to a report by Ofsted.
The report, ‘Ready or not: care
leavers’ views of preparing to leave care’, brings to light
the lack of choice many care leavers experienced: some felt they
had to leave care ‘whether they were ready or not’. Local
authorities are required to prepare children for leaving care but
today’s report finds that care leavers’ experiences of this
preparation have been varied, and many were unaware of the
support they are entitled to.
Statutory guidance requires children in care to be introduced to
their personal advisor (PA)
from age 16 to support them as they leave care. However, over a
quarter did not meet their PA until they were 18 or older, and a
fifth of care leavers said they met their PA too late.
In a nationwide survey and follow-up interviews, many care
leavers said they were not aware of the different kinds of
support they are entitled to. Only around half remembered being
told about the help available to them in their local area. A
similar proportion reported being told how to complain about the
support, or lack of, they received. Even fewer were told how to
get advocacy support.
Many care leavers also told us about feeling isolated and not
knowing who to turn to for help after leaving care. A third (32%)
of respondents said that they did not know who to contact in an
emergency, and a quarter (24%) said they had to find out on their
own. Worrying about money was the most common reason young people
felt unsafe after leaving care, and several attributed
money-related problems in later life to a lack of financial
preparation. As one care leaver put it:
I had little help in learning the financial side of things; I am
in years of debt with council tax and water rates due to this.
The picture is slightly more positive for those children in care
currently. The majority reported that they were getting help with
their money skills.
However, overall the report suggests that there is more for
corporate parents to do to give children leaving care the support
and help they need.
Yvette Stanley, Ofsted’s National Director for Social Care, said:
The transition out of care can be a daunting prospect for many.
It’s so important that children feel prepared with the skills
they need to live independently and a support network there to
help them if they need it. Unfortunately, many of the young
people we spoke to felt they left care before they were ready and
didn’t know where to turn to for help.
The insights these young people have shared with us strike a
powerful chord and are valuable in identifying how things can be
improved for care leavers. We will continue to draw on these
findings in our future research and as we make improvements to
our inspection work so that it always reflects what matters most
to children in care and care leavers.
Notes
This research only reports on care leavers’ perceptions of the
preparation they received. What they told us is not necessarily
representative of all care leavers’ experiences.
The report is part of a wider project looking at local authority
decision-making for children in care, children on the edge of
care and care leavers in England. Our next report will look at
sufficiency of accommodation for children in care and care
leavers.
