Skip to main content

Early deaths among care leavers revealed [BBC.com]

 

Young people who have grown up in care are far more likely to die in early adulthood than other young people, Freedom of Information figures reveal.

They show 90 people who left care in the UK between 2012 and 2016 died in the years when they would have turned 19, 20 or 21.

Care leavers make up 1% of the population at these ages, but make up around 7% of the deaths.

The government says it is investing £10m in support for those leaving care.

While an exact comparison is difficult, the official figures, showing people who left care between 2012 and 2016, indicate they are roughly seven times more likely to die when they are aged from 18 to 21 than other young people of a similar age.

An inability to access physical and mental healthcare has been cited by care leavers as key contributory factors.

One young man described being "palmed off with pills" when he tried to get mental health support.



[For more of this story, written by George Greenwood, go to http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38961818]

Add Comment

Comments (0)

Post
Copyright © 2023, PACEsConnection. All rights reserved.
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×