Care leavers’ transitions to independence
Day-to-day life after care
- What everyday life looked like for care leavers
- The pressures and challenges care leavers faced day-to-day
- The parts of daily life that care leavers enjoyed
What everyday life looked like for care leavers
The care leavers we spoke to described very different days. Some had structured routines, with college from early morning to late afternoon, time for revision in the evenings, and set days for the gym, shopping, or seeing friends. Others juggled long university hours, work placements, and part-time jobs. Some were learning to drive, looking after younger brothers or sisters, or raising their own children while fitting in work, appointments and jobs around the home. A few described quieter days focused on reading, walking the dog, visiting a partner or keeping up with assignments.
Jordan spent most of his time helping other care leavers, and said it stopped him having to focus on himself.
Jordan spent most of his time helping other care leavers, and said it stopped him having to focus on himself.
I go to work. I come home. I’ve got an elderly neighbour, so I walk his dog. And then I’ll just relax and then go to bed. I don’t really do anything. It’s a bit... I say I don’t really do anything: I do a lot for the care leavers, and it’s starting to drain, but then again, is one of them where I don’t want to stop, because I know that if I stop, I’ll have to focus on myself, so I just... I don’t do a lot, but I do a lot at the same time, if that makes sense?
Chereece had very structured but busy days caring for her daughter, working, learning to drive and going to the gym.
Chereece had very structured but busy days caring for her daughter, working, learning to drive and going to the gym.
OK so, Mondays I have my little girl and I take her to nursery, I go to work, I pick her up, take her home, do her tea, bath her, put her to bed, have a shower myself, maybe tidy up, go to sleep, wake up. Tuesdays, I get all my meetings in, or I try and go to the gym, I have to do [activity] on a Tuesday, and then I pick my daughter up, the same again. Wednesdays, the same again: work, nursery, home, bath, bed, tea, bath, bed. Thursdays, I get a day with my daughter, but due to my driving coming up I’m trying fit in lessons, but again, getting in more debt with that. But Fridays, again, work, but then he... my baby’s father has her on... over the weekend at the minute because I’m working on a Saturday as well, so he’s having her, and then he has her over the weekend, and then I might go out and see some friends, clean the house, and then back to normal again.
Laks balanced freelance work with long days at university.
Laks balanced freelance work with long days at university.
So, at the moment my days consist of trying to juggle and do my uni work and my freelancing job which is social media management for a company. So, I wake up, I don’t have breakfast because who eats breakfast? I cycle to uni. I... it depends on the day, but I usually stay for there for like eight to nine hours, ’cause I can’t work at home. Yeah, again, very fortunate that my boyfriend studies with me, so we both cycle there, and yeah, I just work. I come home, we always eat together, so the three of us, and that’s like one thing I’m very strict on, I like dinnertime together, like we’re very sociable in that way. Chillout. Play some PlayStation. Have a little smoke. Go to bed. Repeat. Weekends: I’m usually shooting events or just anything which is gonna make me money. I don’t know. I have my hands in lots of different pots at the moment, there’s... it’s stress, but it’s exciting.
The pressures and challenges care leavers faced day-to-day
Many care leavers said their days were shaped by pressure, tiredness or stress. A few talked about managing everything on their own, or trying to fit study, work, and appointments into long days. Some described health needs that affected how much they could do, while others spoke about uncertainty around housing or immigration decisions. Others felt lonely, had long journeys to college or work, or felt they had to manage everything alone without support.
Elijah said he mostly studied but felt isolated because he wasn’t receiving the support he needed from adult social care.
Elijah said he mostly studied but felt isolated because he wasn’t receiving the support he needed from adult social care.
And I don’t get up to much really other than uni, ’cause I’m very socially isolated. I don’t have any friends in [city], especially because I don’t have the support from adult social care in place right now because there’s been no proper transfer between [borough’s] adult social care and [city’s] adult social care team, so we’re still waiting on my Care Act Assessment to be done in [city], so I’m not getting the support I need at the moment, so I don’t have a lot of access to the community.
Hope’s days were full of assignments and job applications, and it felt non-stop.
Hope’s days were full of assignments and job applications, and it felt non-stop.
Well, my day-to-day life at the moment is very much plagued by assignments unfortunately and job applications. But, in a way, that kind of… it… do you know that… I kind of do thrive from the stress. Like I thrive from having lots to do. It feels like, at the moment I am on the cusp of like a really exciting change in my life, beyond July, yeah, I will be… I, I’ll be in the real world and hopefully I will have a good job. So, so yeah, my day-to-day life is just like I’m just trying to utilise every minute of every day just to try and get a good job, really. But I really want to… I’m trying to secure a place on one these grad schemes which is just [laughs]… they are very difficult to get onto.
Fiyori said the uncertainty of waiting for a right to remain decision made life stressful and difficult to plan (read by an actor).
Fiyori said the uncertainty of waiting for a right to remain decision made life stressful and difficult to plan (read by an actor).
When I feel I went and I start planning for the future, I feel like I’m not sure.
And I was feeling like er when I just plan: ‘yeah, I want to do this, I want to do that, I want to do that,’ I can’t do that because I don’t have the right like the government and the paper and I was not sure about: where am I staying; is this my future; do I have... am I going to stay here? So that really challenge me.
I think if they... they will give you a decision after interview, I think especially when you are like in a care leaver, or anything, for these people, if they give you like to give it to make it like quicker process of the interview and give them the decision quickly because this stage is you decide for the future, just like a foundation for tomorrow, or for your future.
So, to know about your future, just like the main thing.
So, if we know this, it will be better, like it will give you more chance to plan.
The parts of daily life that care leavers enjoyed
Most care leavers talked about parts of their day that felt enjoyable or calming. These included reading, going to the gym, cooking, walking the dog, spending time with others, and keeping up with hobbies. Some enjoyed travelling, either to see partners in other cities or to take holidays abroad. These moments sat alongside study, work and other responsibilities, helping to make adult life feel more balanced and less stressful.
Ninna enjoyed going to college, taking part in sports, and living with her shared lives carer, where she was treated like an adult.
Ninna enjoyed going to college, taking part in sports, and living with her shared lives carer, where she was treated like an adult.
Ninna: I go to college. I do some activities, and I’m gonna play football tonight at a football... at [sports club], and I see my friends and I hang out with [shared lives carer], and then—
Carer: Yeah, we swim and gym and then, yeah, and then she’s gonna start football club tonight, so, ’cause we haven’t lived here that long, we’re still finding activities that we can go and do some things together. And then as I say, football’ll be her first thing that you can go and do, and you’ve got friends now, haven’t you?
Ninna: Yeah.
Carer: - you've made through college and-
Ninna: Yes. So, I feel like I’m really liking being 18... well 19 now, and I’m really liking like being treated like an adult.
Helen said her days included reading, cooking, and going to the gym (read by an actor).
Helen said her days included reading, cooking, and going to the gym (read by an actor).
Like I’m on holiday now. Reading, activity, cooking, yeah. Yeah, with other people. Sometimes with my own, with friends. I go to the gym.
Hussain enjoyed travelling and going on holiday abroad (read by an actor).
Hussain enjoyed travelling and going on holiday abroad (read by an actor).
So since leaving care I’ve been on three holidays, well, two holidays and a pilgrimage, but even that I tried to make into a holiday.
When I went on holiday, I went to Turkey.
Nice.
So in Marmaris, that was really nice, and then I’ve been to Paris,—
Wow, nice.
— to Disneyland, and then went to Paris, and then I went on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
Richie said he found work hard after his childhood and was taking time to focus on himself, but he enjoyed volunteering.
Richie said he found work hard after his childhood and was taking time to focus on himself, but he enjoyed volunteering.
I feel like I am getting there, very slowly I suppose, but I am getting a lot better in myself and I’m just working on myself ’cause like my past is really... like really bad, so I’ve just been working on myself, then trying to get over the past, ’cause it’s kind of stuck in my head over the years, and I found it difficult to like have a stable job and stable home especially if I’ve been moving around, I’ve had to leave jobs somewhere.
I’d say most days I just do what I need to do. I just... I’m always organised and just get everything done, that’s how I am. And then I have events that come up and then... and I have these meetings, and I just always plan around it and just always attend what I can. I always take part in whatever I can, that’s why I’m doing things with the [Name of organisation] and I do things with [Name of charity], I try to just keep myself busy with lots of voluntary stuff. And I also get invited to events and days out, which is fully funded, which [Name] Charity, they pay for my travel and everything, so whenever they’ve got things going on, they pay for my travel, the lot, and then I’m not limited to what I can do, and I can then take part in everything and anything.
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