A 20-year-old man who slept in his car after leaving the care system said thousands like him were being "abandoned", after a report revealed a death rate four times higher than the general population.
Michael Allen, 20, first entered the care system aged eight and spent much of his school years between foster carers and family friends. Later in his teens, his foster parents pushed him to attend sixth form, but as he approached adulthood, his placement began to break down.
Personal adviser failures
Michael's first Personal Adviser (PA), responsible for helping plan his transition out of care, was appointed by Hampshire County Council when he was 16. They didn't meet until he was 17, he claims, beginning a pattern of "comprehensive failure" that has seen him given five different advisers in just four years.
At 18, he entered a three-month 'Staying Put' arrangement at a private foster placement to ensure he didn't face the upheaval of moving while finishing his A-levels. But he found this was more of a business transaction than the supportive environment he had hoped for. He said he was charged £790 a month by the provider, swallowing his Universal Credit allowance, while living under strict, isolating house rules.
Michael said: "I paid my full Universal Credit single home living allowance to them on top of an additional £130 in my single allowance. So that works out roughly to me paying 750 odd pounds of rent in a place I couldn't have guests in overnight, I couldn't cook in the kitchen past 10pm."
Homelessness and survival
After moving out on his last day of his A-levels, Michael enrolled in a course at Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts in London, but his status as a care leaver meant he faced unique challenges, including private landlords not accepting corporate parents, like the council, as guarantors.
It was the type of situation where a personal adviser should step in and provide urgent support, but, according to Michael, very little was forthcoming, as his PA was on sick leave. He quickly found himself with nowhere to go, and ended up staying on friends' sofas, later taking to sleeping in his car.
He said: "I had been sofa surfing for a full year with two holding deposits being held from me, numerous credit checks being failed, landlords not accepting corporate agencies as guarantors... while I was sleeping in the back of my car. If I'm not advocating for myself while experiencing homelessness, and I didn't have the gift of the communication skills I do possess, where would I be?"
"Once you turn 18, you are abandoned. If your mum and dad didn't reach out to you for four months while you were trying your damnedest to upskill, you'd think, well hang on a minute, we need to have a talk because you've hurt my feelings."
Now 20 and living in private accommodation in London, he is still unpacking the "chaos" of his difficult transition to adulthood as he begins a new chapter as an entrepreneur looking for startup investment. He has previously worked as a freelance marketing professional for major tech brands, helping grow social media channels to millions of followers.
Succeeding in spite of his experience with the care system, which he says forced him to "survive" rather than nurtured him, he is now actively campaigning for children's policy reform, including urgent improvements to the PA system.
Charity calls for national strategy
Leading care charity Become said Michael's story and the latest figures reflected catastrophic failures in the personal adviser system that left youngsters "so badly let down".
A report released by the charity this week found that many PAs were being asked to provide support without the time, tools and training they need to do their jobs well, and in extreme cases are expected to support as many as 46 young people on their own.
More than two-thirds of local authorities (67%) don't provide PAs with any accredited training or qualifications, they said, and the Department for Education does not collect, require or hold data about the leaving care workforce, including how many PAs are employed.
Anela Anwar, CEO of Become, said: "For young people leaving care, their Personal Adviser is the one person who's in their corner. Yet our report shows PAs are being expected to provide this essential support without any real investment in their role. This is simply not good enough. The system is preventing PAs from giving young people the support they need, with consequences for their relationships, self-confidence and outcomes across all areas of their lives.
"The Government must develop and implement a national strategy for the leaving care workforce, so PAs have the skills, knowledge, confidence, and resources to give every young person leaving care the consistent, person-centred support they need."
A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: "We take all concerns and complaints raised by young people we support seriously and are committed to ensuring their voices are heard. We are sorry that Mr Allen is unhappy with aspects of the support he has received. We continue to listen carefully to the concerns raised and are working with him and those involved in his support to address these wherever possible.
"Our priority is to help young adults who receive a service from us to develop the skills and confidence to live as independently as possible. We are committed to continually improving our services and, where opportunities to strengthen our practice or enhance the support we provide are identified, we will take prompt and appropriate action.
"While we do not comment on the details of an individual child or young adult's circumstances, we remain focused on working with Mr Allen and those supporting him to help achieve the best possible outcomes."
