Care system 'failing young people'

The care system in the UK is failing young people and leaving many destined to end up homeless, dependent on alcohol or drugs, or engaged in prostitution or criminality, a report has claimed.

The report, 'Handle With Care', published by the Centre for Policy Studies, found that, of the 6,000 young people who left state care each year, around 4,500 had no educational qualifications.

Within two years of leaving care, the report claimed, 3,000 would be unemployed, 2,100 would have become mothers or got pregnant and 1,200 would be homeless.

Only 60 would make it to university.

Report author Harriet Sergeant said that the failure of the care system was a major contributor to social exclusion in the UK.

She said: "The state removes young people from their parents and makes itself responsible... it has complete control, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It should be a unique opportunity to transform these children's lives. Instead, vast sums of money are being spent on a system that contains rather than cares or protects."

The report said that children were being moved between foster carers "far too frequently" and that care homes were focusing too much on short-term containment rather than long-term success.

It also said that there was not enough support for young people once they left the care system.

Ms Sergeant said: "Most parents do not trust their 16-year-olds on their own for a weekend. Yet we expect the most immature, emotionally damaged and ill-prepared teenagers to cope with little more than a text message every six months from their adviser. And for those who are single mothers, to look after a child as well."

Ms Sergeant said that a successful care system would "transform this country", saying that it would lead to a drop of a third of the prison population and move half of all prisoners under the age of 25 out of the criminal justice system, as well as halve the number of prostitutes and homeless and remove 80% of Big Issue sellers of the streets.

The report concluded that the primary objective of reform of the system should be to provide "secure, stable, long-term and loving care for difficult children", which should be provided for as long as it took them to be able to move successfully into society.

It also said that information should be collected on which therapies, initiatives and charities actually work.

(KMcA/EF)