This article discusses early deaths among care leavers, including references to suicide and traumatic experiences. This discussion is in response to the findings of the recent review of early deaths among care leavers aged 18 to 24, which presents a stark picture of the challenges too many young people face as they move into adulthood. We have been taking time to reflect on the findings and how we can ensure that care leavers receive the support, relationships and opportunities they need to thrive.
The findings from the review of early deaths among care leavers aged 18 to 24, published by the Department of Education and authored by Ashley John-Baptiste and Clare Chamberlain, are stark. Our deepest condolences are with the care experienced young people and those close to them, who have been affected by these losses.
If we want to prevent early deaths and improve outcomes for some of the most disadvantaged people in our society, the lessons from this review must shape both national policy and local practice.
What the review tells us
Cliff edge after cliff edge
Reaching 18 is often described as being a ‘cliff edge’ for children and young people in and leaving care. Support can reduce or change, statutory frameworks and responsibilities can shift, and important relationships can be lost.
Yet, young people’s needs do not stop at 18. Development continues well into our twenties, and risks associated with this life stage can increase at this age, which can be caused or exacerbated by reduced support.
The review highlights a stark reality: the highest death rate for care leavers aged 18-24 occurs at age 18.
Importantly, the review highlights that this cliff edge is not a one-off event. Many care leavers face a succession of transitions and challenges throughout early adulthood, often with decreasing levels of support.
This is reflected in the experiences of young people whose deaths formed part of the review, including:
- Young people in custody in adult prisons.
- Young women who had experienced the removal of their own children.
- Suicides of young people who were transitioning.
- Young people seeking asylum.
- Young people who died from medical conditions.
To ensure that care leavers receive the support that they need and deserve, we need to think about how we prepare care leavers for changes in their lives when they reach 18. Also, how we help them to navigate the various changes and challenges they may face in early adulthood.
Addressing these cliff edges requires a holistic focus on whole lives, intersectionality and intergenerational experiences. For example, a Transitional Safeguarding lens looks beyond statutory duties and brings partner organisations together within local systems to develop shared, evidence-informed approaches that help adolescents and young adults stay safe across developmental stages and prepare for adult life.
There are signs of good practice in this space, which should be amplified and replicated. For example, practice leaders, researchers and those with lived experience are working together to better prepare young people in care for adult relationships and the possibility of parenthood. This includes developing humane pre-birth social work practice and sharing practice on supporting parents who have had children removed from their care, amongst whom care leavers are a significant proportion.
For many young adults, growing independence is made possible through reliable relationships, practical help and people to turn to when decisions feel complex.
Nurturing relationships and building interdependence
Research from the Bright Spots Programme shows that one in five care leavers feel lonely often or always, compared with around one in twelve young people in the wider population. There is also a clear drop off in wellbeing for many young people when they reach 18.
The review highlights how loneliness, isolation and poor wellbeing feature in the experiences of many care leavers who died prematurely.
These challenges often emerge while many care leavers find themselves confronted with expectations to take on a range of new responsibilities, including making decisions about key elements of their lives. This can be an overwhelming experience, exacerbated by both limited opportunities to take proportionate risks and learn key skills for adulthood before turning 18, and conversely by a lack of tailored support for managing such risks and learning these skills after turning 18.
For many young adults, growing independence is made possible through reliable relationships, practical help and people to turn to when decisions feel complex. Care leavers should be able to draw on that same kind of connected support as they move into adulthood. Fostering relationships and building interdependence are therefore both vital for improving wellbeing and enabling care experienced children and young people to have a good start to their adult lives.
Extended care models such as Staying Put, Shared Lives Plus and Staying Close offer opportunities for children and young people to maintain safe and supportive relationships as they move into adult life. However, not all care leavers will be able to access this support. Some of those who can access it will not wish to do so and more could still be done to improve the experiences and outcomes of those that do.
The care system can create numerous barriers to building and maintaining relationships with friends, families and those that are close to us – such as moving home and being separated from siblings.
Bridging the gaps for all young people
We must think about how we bridge these gaps for all young people. This includes exploring initiative such as, Lifelong Links, which connects children in care and care leavers with people who care about them. The Mission Mentoring Programme supports council employees to become mentors for care experienced children, while Leeds City Council’s Archway Hub provides activities and a drop-in space for care leavers.
Of course, initiatives alone are not sufficient to improve the quality and quantity of young people’s relationships and to build interdependence. The quality of practice is also fundamental. For those accessing or eligible for extended care models, Allen’s (2023) research highlights the importance of the young person, their carer and their wider network regarding the model as being an extension of previous efforts to create and maintain meaningful relationships. For both these young people and for those who cannot access extended care models, Kirby et al (2026) argue that Leaving Care Personal Advisors should support young people to think critically about their decisions and what they want from life. Rather than inadvertently becoming overly directive or not helping young people to develop the level of understanding they need to make informed decisions.
Finally, we cannot forget the significance of relationships outside of professional networks and initiatives. The care system can create numerous barriers to building and maintaining relationships with friends, families and those that are close to us – such as moving home and being separated from siblings. We must find ways to understand and address these disparities.
The experiences at the heart of this review are a powerful and heartbreaking illustration of the challenges that too many care leavers face. The responsibility now is to ensure they lead to meaningful change.
Tackling discrimination
It is timely that the Joint Committee on Human Rights published their report on the Human Rights of Children in the Social Care System in England two days after this review.
The report from the Joint Committee highlights the discrimination that children in care and care leavers face during their lives and the findings from this review provide irrefutable evidence of the inequalities suffered by care experienced people.
In their discussion of discrimination, the Joint Committee consider both sides of the debate in relation to recognising care experience as a protected characteristic in the Equality Act 2010, which Research in Practice are currently exploring the impact of at a local level.
Whilst that debate remains ongoing, the findings of this review and the Joint Committee report highlight the need for a national conversation about tackling the discrimination that care experienced people face and addressing their significantly unequal outcomes, of which a discussion about recognising care experience as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010 should form one part.
Turning difficult lessons into change
The challenge now is to turn the difficult lessons from this review into action. Improving outcomes for care leavers requires more than stronger pathways and meeting statutory duties. It requires a system that understands the realities of early adulthood, values relationships as a protective factor, and works collaboratively across services to meet young people's changing needs.
Most importantly, it requires sustained investment in the people, resources and support networks that help care leavers build safe, healthy and fulfilling lives.
The experiences at the heart of this review are a powerful and heartbreaking illustration of the challenges that too many care leavers face. The responsibility now is to ensure they lead to meaningful change.