Latest report highlights worsening inequalities in support for care leavers (Oct 2011)
Following up on our 2009 survey Setting Up: A Place to Call Home, which costed essentials for setting up hime in a one bedded flat and compared the leaving care grants given by local authorities across England, we found that grants were still largely inadaquate in all but a handful of areas. The Care Leavers' Foundation has recommended to Government a standard £3,000 setting up home grant to ensure fariness across the country and an adaquate start to adult life for children leaving care. Read the full report A Bed or a Cooker? Choice for Care Leavers
Latest Ministerial Meeting focuses on Mental Health (June 2011)
A small care leavers' group meets quarterly with Children's Minister Tim Loughton to share their views about issue affecting children leaving care. The first meeting took place as part of activites for National Care Leavers' Week 2010, resulting in a short film in which the Minister was asked how the new Government aimed to address issues facing care leavers. At the next meeting Loughton will be asked to reflect on the answers he gave 12 months ago and review progress made against promises during the intervening period.
How Was Your Day (2010)
As part of National Care Leavers' Week activites in 2010, Voices from Care partnered with A Leap to produce an event hosted by for the National Assembly for Wales by Helen Mary Jones AM. Consideration was given to a range of topics which were highlighted in research carried out for Voices from Care by Cardiff University.
Read the Care Leavers' Week (Wales) report her or download the full research report How Was Your Day.
Setting Up: A Place to Call Home (2009)
'Setting Up: A Place to Call Home' (March 2009) is the most comprehensive study published to date on the real cost of purchasing essential items for an unfurnished flat together with comparisoms from 126 local authhorities in England.
The report finds that nearly 80% of authorities surveyed pay less than £1600. The amount recommended in 2005 by A National Voice for the Setting up Home grant was £2000. 4.5% pay under £1,000 and 0.9% £500 or less.
This new report, based on a shopping survey undertaken by young people in England and Wales, indicates that at 2009 prices £2,500 is a realistic amount for a leaving care grant.
Read the full report here. Setting Up: A Place to Call Home
Life After Care (2008)
Life After Care, a joint initiative of The Care Leavers Foundation, QA Research and Children and Young People Now magazine was based on a national study of care leavers' views conducted for National Care Leavers' Week 2008. It showed that too many care leavers are still experiencing the same lack of support, premature transitons and risk factors for social exclusion as we have been hearing about for many years.
Read the full report here. Life After Care
The Care Leavers' Foundation
PO Box 202
Bala
LL23 7ZB
Registered Charity Number: 1081410
Spring Digital