Nearly half of 308 care leavers surveyed said they

0370 270 6000

Search Mobile

collapse

already registered?

Please sign in with your existing account details.

Email address

Password

need to register?

Register to access exclusive content, sign up to receive our updates and personalise your experience on brownejacobson.com.

Privacy statement - Terms and conditions

Forgotten your password?

collapseSign

Home

Insights & events

Resources

Blogs

Nearly half of 308 care leavers surveyed said they left care too early and badly prepared

13 March 2012

In 1999, the House of Lords ruled in Barrett –v- Enfield, opening the door to what we now call ” failure to nurture” claims.

Barrett had been in care until the age of 17 during which he had two foster placements and was at 6 different residential homes. He alleged the nature of long term planning was inadequate and that he left care without family or attachments. As a result he suffered psychiatric illness.

This week’s After care report suggests that at least in some parts of the country, things have not changed.

The report concludes that 46% of care leavers thought they were made to leave care too early and 49% thought they had been prepared badly or very badly. Of course, it is all a matter of perspective, and who knows whether these young people would have fared better had they not been in care, but the possibility of claims is another worry for all those organisations who work with care leavers.

Related opinions

IR35 rules to be scrapped from April 2023

The Chancellor’s recent mini-budget provided a significant announcement for business as it was confirmed that the off-payroll working rules (known as “IR35”) put in place for public and private sector businesses from 2017 and 2021 will be scrapped from April 2023.

View blog

Challenges from potential Foster Carers and Adopters

Our immediate future shows a renewed focus on foster care. We’re going to see a new nationwide-drive to recruit foster carers and the implementation of a more robust, and potentially financially-generous system for encouraging friends and family to care for their relatives (both when extended families cannot cope or provide care for any reason).

View blog

A helpful decision for claimant solicitors on Limitation under the Human Rights Act in abuse and assault cases?

In this month’s decision of CJ & Ors v Chief Constable of Wiltshire Police the court was given the task of considering whether a sexual abuse action, brought under the Human Rights Act 1998 should be allowed to proceed to trial where the claim had been brought outside the one-year period prescribed by the Act.

View blog

80% hours for 100% pay? That’ll do nicely

As has been widely reported this week, some 3,000 UK workers are taking part in a six month trial to assess the viability of a four-day working week without any reduction in their normal pay.

View blog

View all blogs