A new report commissioned by the Local Government Association and written by Coram and Stormbreak, is calling for care-experienced children and young people to have better access to physical activity.
The report, being launched today at the Local Government Association’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Conference in Bradford, warns that care-experienced children and young people are “a hidden group” whose needs and experiences are often overlooked in physical activity policy and provision.
Latest figures show there were 83,630 children in care in England. There were also 50,670 care leavers aged between 17 and 21.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils, is calling on the Government to prioritise supporting care-experienced children and young people in the forthcoming physical activity strategy.
It says Sport England, the Department for Education and Department for Culture, Media and Sport, should expand their existing data collections to include and track both physical activity levels and experiences of care-experienced children and young people.
Councils are also asking the Government to fund further research to build on the existing evidence base on the individual and systemic barriers facing care-experienced children and young people that prevent them from accessing and engaging in physical activity.
This would support councils to design and implement more effective interventions to increase physical activity rates in care-experienced children.
The call for data collection forms part of a series of recommendations set out in the report – Guidance on improving opportunities for physical activity for care-experienced children and young people – which provides information, advice and examples of good practice on how councils and their partners can best support care-experienced children and young people to be physically active.
The report was commissioned by the LGA and written by Coram and Stormbreak, and co-produced with 55 care-experienced children and young people through a series of focus groups and workshops held in April and May 2025.
Cllr Julie Jones-Evans, Chair of the LGA’s Culture, Tourism and Sport Committee, said: “It is vital that care-experienced children and young people have access to opportunities for physical activity.
“As corporate parents, looking after children and young people is one of the most important jobs that councils do. It means doing everything we can for every child in the council’s care, and every care leaver too. Supporting care-experienced children and young people to be physically active is an important part of these corporate parenting responsibilities.
“Sadly care-experienced children and young people are often a hidden group that is overlooked. This is why we are urging the Government to ensure care-experienced children and young people are a part of its forthcoming physical activity strategy, so we can better support their needs to help them develop and flourish in life.”
Dr Katharine Stockland, Research Manager at Coram, said: “We know that physical activity has huge benefits for the physical and mental wellbeing of care-experienced children and young people. Our research shows that it is particularly important that care-experienced children and young people have the freedom to choose the activities that are best suited to them, and that these activities are trauma-informed. While this report highlights many existing examples of best practice, there is still more to do, particularly in terms of increasing national data collection and in-depth research on this important topic.”
Emma Dowinton, Stormbreak Social Worker and Together Programme Manager, said: “Stormbreak CIO was delighted to work with Coram on this report. Prioritising movement in the lives of young people with care experience is vital, as it supports their emotional wellbeing, strengthens physical health, and creates meaningful opportunities to build and deepen connections with trusted adults and peers.”