Every care leaver to have someone in their corner, following review into early deaths

• £25 million invested this year alone to provide homes for thousands of care-experienced young adults, to tackle isolation rather than leaving young people to fend for themselves.
• Comes as an independent expert-led review shines a light on the tragic deaths of too many young people who left the care system.
• Review findings set out where government, local authorities and others must step up, so fewer young people are left alone when they turn 18.

Thousands more young people leaving care will have people around them when they move into adulthood, as the government begins the national rollout of a strengthened housing programme backed by £25 million this year alone. The programme will grow high quality and innovative housing models that build connection around those leaving care.

It comes as government-commissioned independent review into the early deaths of young people who left care is published today, led by author and broadcaster Ashley John-Baptiste and social work leader Clare Chamberlain.

The review tells the stories of six young people who died between the ages of 18 and 24. Those who knew them describe them as devoted, bubbly, kind, and deeply loved. They were also, in the words of one young person quoted in the report, on their own'.

Its central finding is that young people leaving care are profoundly isolated. Services often respond to a young person's understandable wish for their own place, but independence can arrive with an unexpected loneliness and no one close enough to notice when things go wrong.

The report sets out three things that must change: how young people are prepared for adulthood, the sharp drop in help at age 18, and the skills of the workforce supporting them.

In response, government is driving forward the national rollout of connected housing options for those leaving care, starting with £25 million this year alone. This marks a major change that will make the Staying Close programme focused on expanding housing models akin to Shared Lives Plus, The House Project and Supported Lodgings to every part of the country. For young people, this will significantlyincrease their chances of being offered a home that provides them with community and connection rather than leaving them isolated in inappropriate accommodation.

Children's Minister Josh MacAlister said:

"Every one of these young lives mattered, and behind each of them lies a story of enormous loss for their families, for their friends, and for the people who cared for them.

"We owe it to these young people, and to every care experienced person, to change care so that we make enduring relationships the central obsession of the care system. Care must build and not break the relationships that young people need, and this must be the new north star.

I am incredibly grateful to Ashley and Clare for their work on this review. The tragic stories they have captured must galvanise us to make sure that no one leaving care is left isolated and alone. This will be a whole society effort, so I urge everyone to play their part.

 Author and broadcaster Ashley John-Baptise said: 

As a care experienced broadcaster, I've been privileged to cover many aspects of the care system. That said, nothing could have prepared me for the devastating stories we've come across whilst doing this work. 

The lives of these care leavers mattered. I really hope our review shines a light on who they were, how they were failed and serves as a useful report to stir us all.

Social work leader, Clare Chamberlain said:

This review has reinforced what care leavers have told us for years: the state is no substitute for family. We need to do more to prevent the acute loneliness that the most vulnerable experience after leaving care

In 2025, 112 deaths of care leavers aged 18 to 24 were notified to the Department for Education. That is an estimated 130 per 100,000, around three to four times the rate for others the same age. Ashley and Clare were commissioned to undertake this review by the Children's Minister after he identified repeated patterns in the reports of these early deaths.

Through the Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act, more public bodies will become corporate parents, meaning the NHS, jobcentres, prisons, and probation must weigh what care leavers need when they design services. New duties from 30 September require councils to publish how they will support care leavers into independent living, and from that date a care leaver can no longer be found intentionally homeless.

Notes to editors

• The review, You really are on your own': A study of the early deaths of young people who were in care, was authored by Ashley John-Baptiste and Clare Chamberlain and commissioned by the Department for Education.
• Staying Close was originally piloted in eight regions from 2017 and has since been extended to 47 local authorities across England.
• The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act includes a new legal requirement for all local authorities to provide Staying Close support to eligible care leavers.
• The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act also introduced new corporate parenting responsibilities which will require more public bodies to consider the needs of care leavers in the exercise of their functions.
• This latest announcement is the next step in implementing the Enduring Relationships Strategy that was launched in July. The strategy reset government policy to make the building of loving, trusted relationships around care experienced people the central focus of the care system. Delivering this strategy involves changes to every aspect of the system, including inspection, training, foster care, and housing options.

Wider quotes:

Brigid Robinson, Managing Director of Coram Voice, the national charity for the voice of children in care and care leavers, said: 
We welcome the independent review which examines in detail the causes of early death of far too many of the young people coming out of the care system. Every single death is a tragedy, and this report makes absolutely clear that young people cannot be left without appropriate support when they leave care at 18.  This report represents the potential to make a real difference to the lives of young people. We will study it in full in the coming days and respond in due course.   
 
Hannah McCowen, National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum Manager at Catch 22, said:  
This review lays bare the heartbreaking reality facing too many young people as they leave care. It should be a watershed moment for the country and a call to action for every organisation with a responsibility to support care leavers. 
We are proud to have contributed to the review, bringing together the expertise of leaving care professionals and the lived experience of young people from the Young People's Benchmarking Forum. 
We welcome the investment in Staying Close and the introduction of extended corporate parenting duties. Now the focus must be on turning these commitments into meaningful change, working with government and partners to ensure every young person leavingcare has the stability, support and opportunities they deserve. 

Anela Anwar, CEO of Become, the national charity for children in care and young people leaving care, says:

When leaving care can lead to the loss of a young person's life, it's beyond tragic. It shows why we urgently need to end the care cliff and fix the care system that is failing young people.

Care leavers tell us there's no-one holding the full picture of their lives, leading to gaps in support and missed warning signs. We welcome the Government's focus on relationships and the workforce. Our new research shows Personal Advisers can make a huge difference to the lives of care leavers, but their role is not well understood or supported. Investing in Personal Advisers will be key to ensuring care leavers get the stability they need.