Member News
24th October 2012Politicians and the public are being asked to focus on the needs of young people leaving care.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the first National Care Leavers' Day, and National Care Leavers' Week, which begins today, aims to draw wider attention to the inadequate levels of support which these young people receive when they leave care.
Most young people have the support of parents and other family as they start their adult lives.
Outcomes for those who were in care are less certain.
Too many care leavers simply can't cope with life in the adult world and may end up as rough sleepers, drug users or offenders.
Many others survive through their own resilience and determination, building successful careers and families.
The Care Leavers' Foundation provides much needed help to care leavers. This 'invisible minority' of young adults have survived turbulent childhoods, suffering abuse or neglect within their own families, often finding the 'care system' which is designed to protect them a cold and uncertain place to grow up.
Through no fault of their own, many care leavers will have lived in more than 20 different foster placements and children's homes by the time they leave care.
Many of the brightest will leave care with no educational qualifications because of the amount of disruption in their young lives.
The Care Leavers' Foundation said:
"Our belief is simple. We want to extend some of the support, encouragement and financial assistance that most of us take for granted from our parents to those who begin their adult lives with no family to fall back on, or even to care what happens to them.
"We make modest but vital grants to care leavers aged 18-29 who are in crisis, or who want to take control of their lives and develop new skills. We rely entirely on the generosity of the public in order to make these grants. Please help us help care leavers. They deserve a better start and a brighter future."
Interviewwith Scott King, who has worked for Kent Children in Care Council and is a member of the Minister’s care leaver advisory group with the Care Leavers’ Foundation. Scott was in care from the age of 6 months. He has also worked in residential child care and is studying to become a social worker.