A new national service, inspired by the television programme Who Do You Think You Are?, is being launched to help young care leavers in England reconnect with family and friends they lost touch with while living in the care system. The government has allocated £8.4 million in funding for the initiative, which aims to address the isolation and loneliness many care leavers face after turning 18.
Addressing the 'Cliff Edge'
For many care leavers, turning 18 marks a sudden loss of support from social workers and other professionals who provided daily advocacy and crisis assistance. This transition has been described as a 'cliff edge', leaving young people without a trusted adult presence. Hannah, a 22-year-old from Hertfordshire, shared her experience: 'It's really nice to have more of a trusted network now. We as young people need this. We need this to make true connections and find our value.'
How the Service Works
Specially trained coordinators will work with each young person to identify important individuals from their past. Using social care records, old school reports, and public birth and marriage registries, they will safely locate these individuals and facilitate reunions with a support plan in place. The goal is to help care leavers rebuild relationships with relatives, former carers, teachers, and friends.
Statistics Highlight the Need
In 2024, one in ten children in care moved homes three or more times in a year, and over one in five lived more than 20 miles from their home community, leading to frequent loss of relationships. Children's Minister Josh MacAlister stated, 'Too much of the care system breaks rather than builds relationships.' He emphasized that short-term decisions often rupture relationships, leaving young people at risk long-term.
Reducing Deaths and Improving Outcomes
Last month, government data revealed that more than 100 young people died after leaving social services care in England in the past year. MacAlister called this 'a stain on our society' and said the new family-finding programme would help reduce deaths by ensuring care leavers have a better support network. 'A lot of the care-leaver deaths that I've looked at involve very isolated, very lonely young people,' he added.
Promising Results from Existing Schemes
Family-finding schemes already exist in some local authority areas and have shown promising results. Participating young people gained an average of nearly two additional meaningful relationships. Over a third reconnected with immediate family members, while others rebuilt connections with former teachers, social workers, and other trusted adults.
MacAlister highlighted the importance of ensuring every care leaver has at least two people who love them: 'The absence of that focus is the reason why we leave lots of young care-experienced people very, very vulnerable, particularly at 18.'
