The key drivers of care leaver wellbeing: findings from research

By Linda Briheim-Crookall, Coram Voice

For most young people, turning 18 is a milestone filled with excitement and possibility. For many care leavers, however, reaching adulthood often marks an abrupt and accelerated transition from care with support falling away just as expectations increase. 

If we are serious about improving the outcomes of young people leaving care and preparing them for independence, we need to listen to young people themselves.  

The Bright Spots programme, developed by Coram Voice and Professor Julie Selwyn at the University of Oxford, has spent over a decade doing just that. Through surveys co-produced with young people, we’ve gathered insights from over 27,000 responses of children in care and care leavers aged four to 25 from over 70 local authorities.

The focus is simple but powerful: what do young people say makes their lives good?

More care leavers experiencing low wellbeing

The latest Bright Spots report, From Surviving to Thriving, found that while wellbeing is lower than in the general population for both children in care and care leavers, some children and young people do well, with one in five care leavers reporting very high wellbeing. 

Yet, too many still struggle and their number is increasing. In 2021-2024, 32% of care leavers reported low wellbeing compared to 29% in 2017–2020. This decline reflects falling life satisfaction, a reduced sense of purpose and rising anxiety.

There is a particular drop-off in wellbeing at 18, when most young people leave care. Young people describe the transition in stark terms.

As one care leaver put it:

Drivers of care leaver wellbeing

This isn’t just about housing or finances - it’s about relationships, opportunities and having a say. The Bright Spots research identifies seven key drivers of wellbeing for children in care and care leavers:

1. Trusting and supportive relationships with family and friends
2. Emotional and mental health support
3. Somewhere to live where you feel safe and at home
4. Opportunities for learning and growth through education, employment and training
5. Being involved and informed so that you have a say over your life and understand your options and history
6. Trusted and supportive carers
7. Known and trusted workers

Personal advisers have crucial role

In relation to the last point, personal advisers (PAs) play a crucial role. After friends, they are the second most common source of emotional support for care leavers. In the latest survey, 45% of care leavers reported that their PA provided them with emotional support. One young person explained:

However, there has been a worrying decline in the proportion of care leavers who see their PA as a source of emotional support, from 51% in 2017-20 to 45% in 2021-24.

This suggests a need to invest more seriously in this important relationship, ensuring PAs have the time, remit and resources to build meaningful, consistent connections with the young people they support.

The risks of prioritising speed over relationshps

Care leavers are expected to navigate adulthood with far fewer safety nets than their peers. Many face decisions about housing, finances, education and employment at an earlier age, often without family support to fall back on if things go wrong.

When systems prioritise speed and age-based thresholds over readiness and relationships, the result can be loneliness, instability and declining mental health. 

What we could do differently

Young people are clear about what helps. Their insights point to practical changes in policy and practice:

• Extend care beyond 18: Many 18-year-old care leavers will be engaged in a critical year of their education, completing A levels or further study. Extending councils' care and financial responsibilities to at least 19 means that no young person must deal with the stress of leaving care before they have even finished school.
• Remove blanket age rules: Children in foster care can stay with their former carers, through the Staying Put scheme, but rules in residential care prevent children from living with adults. This means that young people in children’s homes often have to move out when they turn 18. Yet who they are and what they need doesn’t change overnight. Decisions should be based on individual risk assessments, not age alone.
• Invest in personal advisers: Rather than introducing new professionals, priority should be given to strengthening the PA role. Smaller caseloads and clearer expectations around regular contact - especially during crises - would allow more PAs to offer both practical and emotional support. Where additional professionals are involved, they should bring specialist expertise, such as mental health or benefits advice rather than duplicate existing roles. 
• Offer continuity and choice: Leaving care should not be a one-way door. If independence proves overwhelming, care leavers should have the option to return to previous homes or supported arrangements, including returning to live with former foster carers.
• Improve mental health support: Given the high prevalence of mental health challenges, support should be opt-out rather than opt-in. Specialist mental health services should be integrated into leaving care services and services accessed as a child should continue into adulthood.
• Expand housing options: Living alone at a young age can be isolating. Family-based and shared models often lead to better outcomes. Schemes such as Staying Put, supported lodgings (where young people rent a room from an approved host family), Shared Lives (where approved carers support people in their own homes), and local house projects (which support young people to get ready for independent living) should be expanded to give young people more choice about where and how they live.

Co-producing solutions with care leavers

The most effective solutions are co-produced with care leavers themselves. They know what works and what doesn’t.

The challenge for policymakers and practitioners is to listen carefully and act decisively.

If we get this right, leaving care won’t feel like stepping off a cliff. It will feel like taking flight—with the right support, at the right time, for as long as it’s needed.

You can read the full report, From Surviving to Thriving, here.

Linda Briheim-Crookall is head of police and practice development at Coram Voice and one of the report's authors