Access to and uptake of continuing care and aftercare: How consistently are entitlements to continuing care and aftercare understood and applied when young people are living outside their home local authority or nation whilst experiencing care?
Background
The Promise recognises transitions from care into adulthood as a critical period, where young people can face abrupt changes in support, increased expectations of independence, and heightened risks around housing, finances, health, and wellbeing. It recognises that young people leaving care should not experience a ‘cliff edge’ of support, instead allowing for gradual, flexible transitions that reflect individual readiness, similar to the support available to many of their peers. Secure, trusting relationships and continuity of support are identified as central to positive transitions.
The ideal evidence base would help illuminate how different models of aftercare and continuing care operate in practice, and how they affect outcomes over time. This includes: evidence on the timing, intensity, and duration of support; the role of relationships with carers and professionals; and how support intersects with education, employment, housing, and health systems. Analytical insight is also needed into differential experiences and outcomes across groups.
Next steps
Get in touch with [email protected]
Related UKRI funded projects
-
Care leavers' transitions to adulthood in the context of Covid-19: Understanding pathways, experiences and outcomes to improve policy and practice
Care leavers typically leave their foster homes or residential placements at 16-18 years and cannot necessarily rely on receiving as much practical, emotional or family support, once they have moved, as their peers in th...
Funded by: COVID
Lead research organisation: University of Bedfordshire
Why might this be relevant?
The project specifically focuses on care leavers transitioning into adulthood and the impact of Covid-19 on their support, which directly relates to the question.
-
Carers Assessment Support
**A difficult time to care** Across the UK our social care system is more stretched than ever with increased demand and decreasing budgets. The lack of capacity in the system is placing additional pressures on the unpa...
Funded by: Innovate UK
Lead research organisation: UPSTREAM OUTCOMES LIMITED
Why might this be relevant?
The project addresses carer support and reforms in the social care system, which is related to the broader context of support for young people transitioning from care.
-
Caring Lives: What do young people with caring responsibilities for family members need to thrive?
My PhD studied why the impacts of caring vary for different children and young people depending on their individual lives. Young carers research has focused on those who access young carer projects due to having substant...
Funded by: ESRC
Lead research organisation: CARDIFF UNIVERSITY
Why might this be relevant?
The project focuses on understanding the needs of young people with caring responsibilities, which can provide insights into the support required for care leavers.