Care leavers’ transitions to independence
Leaving care and moving on
- Experiences of rushed and unplanned transitions out of care
- The importance of being kept informed about leaving care plans
- The emotional consequences of unplanned transitions out of care
- Experiences of being left to organise the move out of care alone
- Experiences of having to leave care on their 18th birthday
- The support care leavers valued
Legally, a young person is no longer classed as ‘looked after’ once they turn 18. Some young people move on from their foster or residential home at 16 or 17 but remain legally ‘looked after’. Others stay living with their foster carers after 18, either informally, or through a staying put arrangement, and those who move on from a residential home may remain connected through a Staying Close arrangement (see Housing options after care).
Experiences of rushed and unplanned transitions out of care
Most of the young people we spoke to said their move out of care was messy, unclear, and rushed. A few had good support from their personal adviser or another worker, but most felt the system acted as if their 18th birthday was a surprise, not something everyone had known was coming for years. Young people said their move was organised with almost no notice. Some were told the day before they needed to move, while others were given a week or two to see their new home and then told to move in straight away. Even when care leavers asked for information, professionals were often unclear about the plan, which left everything feeling rushed and uncertain.
Ninna said professionals treated young people’s 18th birthdays like a surprise, only starting to plan their move at the last minute.
Ninna said professionals treated young people’s 18th birthdays like a surprise, only starting to plan their move at the last minute.
Ninna: All my other friends that lived in the same home as me, so there was two people that I grew up... left, who... after care before me, like a couple of months before me, and then my other friend who got out of care a couple of months ago, and it was like everything was so rushed with them as well, it was literally like it was a big surprise that they were turning 18. But obviously, they’ve been in care for years, so everyone has known they were gonna be 18 that day, but it was literally like a week or two before they were all running around like headless chickens trying to look for accommodation for them and it was just crazy and they were just...
Carer: It was.
Ninna: It was... it was going crazy, but every person that had left care from the home I was in, was just no planning at all and it was like... yeah, it just...
Carer: Yeah, and all of a sudden it’s like: ‘oh, my God, you’re 18,—
Ninna: Yeah.
Carer: —we’ve got to have a plan,’—
Ninna: Yeah, this week.
Carer: —and then it’s like: ‘where you gonna go? And you’re gonna go there and you’re gonna go and view it and you’re gonna...’ and you’re just like—
Ninna: ‘You’re gonna go view it on Tuesday and you’re gonna go move into on Friday,’ it was literally like that for all of them.
Elle didn’t get support until the last minute, leaving her no time to plan her move, so she stayed in her children’s home past 18 (read by an actor).
Elle didn’t get support until the last minute, leaving her no time to plan her move, so she stayed in her children’s home past 18 (read by an actor).
So, when I kind of turned 18, I was still in a children’s home, so I was kind of at the point where I was ageing out of one. There wasn’t a whole lot of support kind of in the year leading up, the support kind of came in maybe a month or two before my 18th birthday, and then it didn’t really feel like I had long enough to, plan anything.
So, I ended up staying in that specific children’s home for a little bit longer after I turned 18. And then, obviously, I have to start paying rent and things like that. So that was a challenge because obviously, I had to get a job, like working when I’m in school and things like that.
And after that, they were, like, looking for, like, a place in, supported accommodation because I couldn’t, like, live by myself yet. And then I moved from the children’s home to, like, a supported accommodation, which was like a children’s home, but much smaller, and there was only three of us, and it was for people between the age of, like, 16 and 25. It was like very specific support.
And they have like a number of houses, like the company had loads of different houses. And then I was there as I was kind of turning, like, 18, 19. And I did get more support from them there, from the staff, but I never felt like I had loads of support from, like, social services themselves; they were kind of always like in the background.
The importance of being kept informed about leaving care plans
Some care leavers didn’t always know who was meant to support them during their transition out of care or when their personal adviser would replace their social worker. They weren’t given clear dates, timelines, or information about what would happen next. This led to confusion, arguments, and young people having to chase updates themselves. For young people who needed extra support or longer transitions, the lack of clear information made the process even more stressful and confusing.
Elijah said his move to semi-independent housing was so unclear he had to arrange it himself.
Elijah said his move to semi-independent housing was so unclear he had to arrange it himself.
I was in a foster home when they started moving me onto the leaving care team, I was about 17, but it was really poorly managed because they never actually gave me a specific kind of date that that transfer was happening. So, for a while I didn’t know if I was still supposed to approach my Looked After Children Social Worker for things, or not, and it led to a bit of a disagreement between me and her because I wasn’t supposed to be going to her, but she hadn’t made that clear. ’cause with me being autistic, I needed to know exactly when those responsibilities were changing, and it just wasn’t made very clear; it was a very bad transition. And then when I moved out of that foster home when I was 18 and went into semi-independent, which again was really badly managed because it didn’t happen when it was supposed to, and I hadn’t been given any updates, so I actually looked up the company... well, like the charity that was running the semi-independent place – called through to their head office and asked them to give me the number for the place so that I could call them and then sort out what was going on and try and get an update on what was going on, so I basically arranged my own move there ’cause social services just screwed it up. When I spoke to them they were like: “Yeah, we’re... we’re fine for you to come whenever, they’ve just not arranged a date,” and so we sorted that out. But I’ve bounced around a lot. I’ve moved more since being on Leaving Care than when I was in care. I moved foster homes five times, but since being in Leaving Care, I’ve moved so many times: I’ve been in about seven different semi-independent placements. I’ve been in two different training flats, and then the whole moving to [city] for uni has been really badly managed as well. It’s taken two attempts to make that happen, and adult social care have been involved as well.
Fiyori asked early to move before college but got no clear answer, then had to move later and spend a year doing long, tiring and expensive journeys (read by an actor).
Fiyori asked early to move before college but got no clear answer, then had to move later and spend a year doing long, tiring and expensive journeys (read by an actor).
Before I move, er it was just rushed and I didn’t know that. I ask them because it... it was September I would turn 18, so I ask my social worker that I want to move before I start college there, but they told me they are not sure about that. If they don’t find accommodation for me, I have to stay at my foster’s house. So, they were not sure. But after I started and settled down. Then in October they tell me I have to move because they found an accommodation, and that was challenging. I want to try life by myself; I want to give it a chance. Also, moving er like from south to north and travelling ’cause I... I was not ready to change the college by that time.
That was really challenging because I told them that I want to change the college before I start. If I start, I don’t want to start again in the middle of the year.
So, I just keep travelling for one year, like an hour and a half I was travelling.
Robyn said leaving care felt unplanned. She was given somewhere to live at the last minute and became homeless six months later when she had to leave.
Robyn said leaving care felt unplanned. She was given somewhere to live at the last minute and became homeless six months later when she had to leave.
I left care at 18, literally, like, the same week as I turned 18, pretty much. I was in a residential children’s home and then went into supported accommodation. There was kind of a transition plan but like a non-existent two-week one, so it was very rushed because they didn’t find me anywhere until, like, the last minute. And then I went there. I stayed there for six months and then because my hours were reduced, they kind of, like, gave notice and made me homeless, so I had to move in with family. So, my experience of leaving care was terrible.
The emotional consequences of unplanned transitions out of care
Many care leavers said moving out of care was stressful and overwhelming. Because planning was rushed and support was limited, some care leavers had to pack their things in a hurry and move with very little notice. Others were moved to new areas, which meant long journeys back to college, work, or friends. The young people we spoke to also highlighted that without a stable home base, they couldn’t leave anything behind; every move meant taking all of their life belongings with them. For some, the experience brought back memories of emergency moves in care, when they had to pack up and move the same day.
Chloe said moving to university reminded her of emergency moves in care. She had no practical help and had to take everything with her because she didn’t have a home to leave things at.
Chloe said moving to university reminded her of emergency moves in care. She had no practical help and had to take everything with her because she didn’t have a home to leave things at.
But it was just so isolating. The other big issue is that like the practicality of moving from sort of [City] to [City]. You don’t have a family to help you move your stuff out. You are moving your entire, you can’t leave things at home, because there is no home to leave it at. So, you have to bring every single belonging you have. It’s like, I remember like when you pack up your stuff for care, I remember social workers coming and you’ve got half an hour, pack a bag up and you move to the new placement. It’s like I felt like that all over again. It was like, great, I’ve gotta pack my bags and rush down to [City] and go. And it’s like a game. When you are having to move out every eight weeks, it’s like, great, pack a bag and let’s move out, let’s go. I’m almost an expert now and it helps you, sort of, you’ve moved out so many times, you’ve packed your bags and your belongings, you get used to it. But, sort of like moving to university, there was no support there, which is quite difficult. Luckily, I had somebody who volunteered sort of drive me down, and help me with all that, which was really really nice. But, yeah, like the accommodation with the support worker didn’t really offer any support at all.
Experiences of being left to organise the move out of care alone
Because planning was often missing, many young people had to organise the practical parts of leaving care themselves. This included arranging move-in dates, finding housing, getting guarantors, arranging transport, and working out what support they could receive. Some care leavers managed the whole move without any help from professionals. Others were left to figure out new bus routes, manage travel costs, and pack up all their belongings by themselves.
Laks had to organise her own move and find a guarantor while studying and working during Covid.
Laks had to organise her own move and find a guarantor while studying and working during Covid.
So, when I was turning 18 it was actually during Covid, and, huh, being a teenager I did some things I shouldn’t have been doing, which resulted in me needing to move out of the placement that I was in, but I think it was more like a general consensus that none of us really wanted me to live there anymore, huh, as... as toxic as that sounds. So, when I was 17, so during kind of like Covid times, I was actively looking to move out with my friend at the time, but there was obviously difficulty around that due to needing to be 18 to move out, and also like having to need a guarantor, which is something I’ll get into more ’cause that is a topic which definitely needs to be discussed. And yeah, so basically as soon as I turned 18, I had a house arranged for me to move into, which I found myself; I basically sorted it all out myself. My guarantor was my ex-boyfriend’s dad at the... well, he was my boyfriend at the time, and yeah, I moved straight into that. It was around the corner from where I used to live, which was quite beneficial, so just walk the stuff over. And yeah, it was difficult, but also, I think it needed to happen. I think I’m quite an independent person and I would have struggled being in foster care having to abide by certain rules. That makes me sound like I’m getting up to loads of mischievous stuff, not like that, but I don’t know, I’m a... I just... I like to do my own thing. So, the transition I think was very exciting more than nerve-racking for me because it kinda felt like it needed to happen, and especially with being locked up in Covid, it was just like: ‘oh, my God, freedom, I can do what I want now.’ But I was still in education when I moved out, so I was doing a pre-degree in digital art at a university , so I was juggling that whilst working at [fast food restaurant] as a crew trainer to afford my rent, which was very, very difficult. I think that is something I don’t miss. I very much struggled with funds when I first moved out.
Dan organised his own move to university, packing and transporting his belongings without support.
Dan organised his own move to university, packing and transporting his belongings without support.
I thought [university] would be good because it’s... you know, it’s in... in a good area and it’s a very... it’s a good uni, it’s very good for social work and it’s not a massive place like [city], and it’s not a massive city like [city], it’s just a little quiet town. If I did want to go onto [city], or [city], it’s only like an hour drive away, it’s not even that, so I decided to do it, and did it all myself. Came up to uni bringing bags, and bags, and bags and, you know, thankfully I had a car at the time, so I was driving up and down, up and down moving all my stuff and moving in and meeting flatmates and just—
Were you...
—done it.
Daisy said moving out of care was stressful. She had to juggle learning new bus routes, sixth form, budgeting and applying for Universal Credit.
Daisy said moving out of care was stressful. She had to juggle learning new bus routes, sixth form, budgeting and applying for Universal Credit.
So, for me, I don’t qualify for certain things, and she was very honest, brutally honest, to be honest, but she has to because she knows that if she doesn’t, I’ll find out at some point and it would not be the best situation finding out that you’re not like any other care leaver in the house you are in, or just as a whole. So, I had several meetings with my social worker. She basically went through her like assessment paperwork, through different situations, and then... then I just got on with my days until December came, and then when December 1st came, it was a situation where I got a message to say, “[Daisy], you need to start applying for Housing Benefit, you need to apply for all the benefits,” and then when my birthday came, I was moved out. Because of my unique situation, I didn’t know where I was gonna go prior. Obviously you’re... as someone who is in care, you know roughly what people could go into, but because of the law of the care system being very red taped and strict, the situations you’re in, all depends on your entitlement and your situation in care, which for me, I just missed the legal fully care entitlement threshold by three days, which meant that I got the bare minimum of support. So, I had no choice of saying where I went, and it’s also a situation where the support I would receive, once I left, so as soon as my 18th birthday came, wouldn’t be through the care system, it would be through just the general local authority support that every other citizen would get. So, because I didn’t qualify for support under the care system due to the... me not qualifying, so it was very rushed and quite overwhelming, to be honest.
Experiences of having to leave care on their 18th birthday
Some young people told us they had to move on, or just before, their 18th birthday. They said it felt sudden and poorly timed, with little warning or time to prepare emotionally. A few care leavers only found out the day before, spending their milestone birthday packing up their belongings instead of celebrating it.
Alex was told he would be moving the day before his 18th birthday, so spent the day packing instead of celebrating (read by an actor).
Alex was told he would be moving the day before his 18th birthday, so spent the day packing instead of celebrating (read by an actor).
Well, for starters, my... the issue I had was the fact that I... I would... so at... at exactly the age of... exactly at the age of 18, I was requested to be moved, and honestly, that kinda put me in as a technicality because I wasn’t aware that I was being moved on that... on my 18th birthday. So, I was stuck between an issue of: ‘right, I’m being moved, but I don’t know where, I don’t know what’s going on, and I don’t know how long.’
When were you told?
And it ended up... The day before.
So, I wasn’t... I wasn’t very impressed with that because it meant that I also had to pack everything I owned, up, within... well, within a day.
And what really annoyed me is no one wants to go packing on their 18th birthday. Do you know what I mean? That’s... that’s the day I will go out and get absolutely hammered at a pub.
But I couldn’t because I was too busy having to pack all of my items up, which really did infuriate me a lot.
Hussain said his local authority tried to evict him on his 18th birthday, leaving him to fight for his right not to be made homeless.
Hussain said his local authority tried to evict him on his 18th birthday, leaving him to fight for his right not to be made homeless.
In a nutshell, me leaving care, it was quite a poor experience. My local authority began to... to try and evict me on the day I turned 18. So, on my birthday, on my 18th birthday, I had plans to go and celebrate that, but the local authority were trying to make me homeless.
I was in supported, semi-independent living accommodation, unregulated may I add, and the local authority basically had served them notice to say that we will stop funding this placement on... on this day because he’s turning 18. So, the placement had then obviously passed that notice on to me to say that you need to find somewhere else to live, pack up all your things and off you go. You’ll need to leave on your birthday and present at the local housing organisation and say that, you know, you’re homeless and you’ve got nowhere to go. So that was my 18th birthday.
I then refused to leave, I said, “I’m not gonna leave,” I says, “I know my rights as a... a care leaver.” The local authority cannot make a care leaver homeless, the law clearly states that, and I had to then state particular sections of the law. The local authority still was very insistent that they were gonna evict me and make me homeless, and instructed the placement provider to change the locks when I’m out. So I barricaded myself in and did not leave and said, “I’m not gonna leave. I’ve got nowhere else to go. This is supposed to be my birthday, it’s supposed to be a day where I’m supposed to be enjoying, I’m 18, I’m finally an adult. I feel like I’ve got autonomy and freedom and that... and that you’ve thrown this bombshell on me. You’ve done no work with me up until this point to find alternative accommodation, and you remembered the day before, when I... I turn 18 that, ‘oh, yeah, you know, this is what you need to do.
Jordan moved to another Staying Put carer on his 18th birthday.
Jordan moved to another Staying Put carer on his 18th birthday.
But because of the time it was, I mean this was literally in the [Month], and my birthday was the [Month], so I then got put with another Staying Put carer, so I actually moved on my 18th birthday to this new Staying Put carer.
The support care leavers valued
Some young people described moments when support really helped as they transitioned out of care. These were usually about one person stepping in, rather than a well-planned system. They valued workers and volunteers who were practical, reliable and who checked in because they cared, not because it was their job. For some, having someone to drive them, help decorate their home, or explain things made moving out of care feel more manageable.
Chereece said she got help arranging a flat and decorating when she moved back to her hometown.
Chereece said she got help arranging a flat and decorating when she moved back to her hometown.
I ended up moving back to my hometown as I turned 18, back to my local authority, but my leaving care team transitioning from 17 to 18 they managed to help me into a property, so I had a flat in [Town] and they helped me decorate, and stuff like that. They helped me get out of my [Grandmother’s], so that I would have the property. And now, to where I am now, so thankfully I did move back to my hometown because I received more support.
Lilah was able to stay with her carers under a Staying Put arrangement until she went to university.
Lilah was able to stay with her carers under a Staying Put arrangement until she went to university.
My experience of leaving care definitely hasn’t been as difficult as others would... would be, because I’m Staying Put with my carers, but I reckon that’ll change when I go to uni ’cause I’m then living on my own. Yeah, I mean I’m... I’m very lucky that I get to stay with my... my carers until I’m... until I go to university, but if I wasn’t going to university, I’d probably have to move out.
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