United Kingdom

Improving outcomes for care leavers has been high on the policy agenda across the United Kingdom. This chapter provides a synopsis of these developments, which are oriented toward facilitating more extended and gradual transitions into adulthood and include statutory duties to assess youth’s support needs, allocate a personal adviser (aftercare worker) to provide or coordinate support, offer extended foster care post-18 (and extended residential placements in Scotland), and offer access to aftercare support up to 25 (or 26 years in Scotland). Drawing on a rich body of research in each nation, including participatory and coproduced studies with care experienced youth, findings illuminate significant gaps in implementation of reforms and the persistence of inequalities in outcomes within the care experienced community, and compared to the general population. Barriers to implementation include budget constraints, a shortage of suitable accommodation, high thresholds for access to services;, and limited investment to support implementation of reforms and to facilitate a cultural shift away from practice focused on preparing youth to be “independent” and toward broader support for interdependence in early adulthood. The situation in the United Kingdom highlights that legislation and policy guidance are not sufficient in themselves. At the micro level greater emphasis needs to be placed on emotional support and at the mezzo level to resolving barriers to integrated working to respond to intersectional disadvantages. Great attention also needs to be paid to understanding and supporting the process of implementing reforms to avoid further widening of the “care gap” that has been exacerbated by COVID-19.