One in three (32%) young care leavers report having low wellbeing, according to new analysis from the largest survey of its kind, published today by the Coram Institute for Children. This figure rises to 47% for care leavers with a long-term health condition or disability.
Care leavers report lower scores on life satisfaction, happiness and sense of purpose than their peers in the general population, and rates of low wellbeing for care leavers have increased from 29% between 2017 and 2020 to 32% between 2021 and 2024.
Today’s report draws on 27,000 responses from the Coram Voice Bright Spots surveys with children in care and young care leavers in over 70 local authorities between 2015 and 2024. The surveys, co-produced with children and young people, aim to understand what makes life good for children and young people in and leaving the care system. Today’s report highlights how vital relationships and safe homes are to care-experienced children and young people’s wellbeing.
Whilst 84% of children in care aged 8-18 say that their life is getting better and around four in ten (39%) of children aged 11-18 have very high wellbeing, wellbeing scores decrease with age and there is a stark drop-off in wellbeing rates for young people who have left care.
Young people commented that leaving care meant losing relationships they had come to rely on, which in some cases left them feeling alone and unsupported. One in five care leavers (19%) said they felt lonely often or always, compared to one in 12 of their peers in the general population. This figure was higher for care leavers with a long-term health condition or disability (29%).
The report also finds:
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Trusting relationships are central to wellbeing; having trusted adults (including carers and workers) and maintaining ties with friends and siblings strongly influences wellbeing. Leaving Care Personal Advisers (PAs) are a common source of emotional support for care leavers, second only to their friends. Worryingly the proportion of care leavers who feel PAs give them emotional support has declined from 51% in 2017-2020 to 44% in 2021-24, suggesting a need to reinvest in these services
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‘Feeling safe where you live’ declines with age and a third of care leavers said they do not always feel safe in their home
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For care leavers, engagement in education, training, or employment (ETE) was linked to high wellbeing. Almost nine in ten (87%) young people who remained with their foster carers after the age of 18 were in ETE, compared with just over half of those living in supported accommodation. Young women and young people with disabilities or long-term health conditions had lower levels of engagement in ETE
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The percentage of care leavers who report they struggle to cope financially has increased from 18% between 2017 and 2020 to 22% between 2021 and 2024
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Across all measures, girls and young women in and leaving care tended to have lower wellbeing than boys and young men. This mirrors findings in the general population
The report sets out seven drivers of wellbeing* based on statistical analysis and children and young people’s comments. Embedding these drivers into policy and practice is key to making sure children in care and care leavers can thrive.
Carol Homden, CEO of Coram, said: “It is a tribute to all who provide care that a significant majority of children in care responding to Coram Voice’s Bright Spots surveys over ten years say that life is getting better.
“But it is clear that far too many, and particularly young women and those who have multiple moves, struggle more as they get older with a high number of care leavers experiencing low wellbeing. This is getting worse and there is an urgent need to make the transition from care more gradual, with greater emphasis on preparation, planning and supportive relationships so that all young people in and leaving care can thrive not just survive.”
Alfie-James Waring, a Coram Voice care-experienced consultant, said: “For care-experienced people, wellbeing is not just about feeling happy, it is about having stability, safety, and people who listen. Growing up in care, I learned early on how to survive, not how to feel. There were times I had to hide my emotions just to get through the day.
“That is why it is so important we talk about wellbeing for care-experienced young people. Conversations like this remind us that we are not alone and that it is okay to put our wellbeing first. It is a way to break the silence that the system sometimes leaves us with, and to start changing how care is seen and delivered.”
Coram’s current Christmas campaign, ‘Home is where the start is’, focuses on the importance of safe loving homes for all children and young people, with donations supporting children in and leaving care. Find out more at www.coram.org.uk/christmas/
*The key drivers of wellbeing can be grouped into seven areas: emotional and mental health support, family and friends, trusted and supportive carers, known and trusted workers, feeling safe and at home, involved and informed, and opportunities to grow and learn