"While the number of children in the care system in England has fallen from its all-time high of 83,750 in 2023, the latest figure of 81,770 in March last year is still 17.7% higher than a decade ago. A recently announced raft of reforms, including free prescriptions for care leavers, will not solve all of the problems. The dire financial position of many councils, and depleted state of local services, have a particularly damaging impact on the lives of those who rely most on the state."
"But the new entitlement to free prescriptions, dentistry and eye care for care leavers in England up to the age of 25 should be welcomed all the same. First, because the removal of charges ought to make it easier for young adults to access treatment. Second, because it represents an acknowledgment of the state's ongoing responsibility to young people who have been removed from their birth families, or who have arrived in the UK unaccompanied, beyond their 18th birthdays."
Children who grow up in care experience substantially worse outcomes across health, education and employment. They face a 62% higher chance of dying before the age of 75 and are four times as likely to have a criminal conviction or caution. The number of children in care in England fell from 83,750 in 2023 to 81,770 in March last year but remains 17.7% higher than a decade earlier. New measures include free prescriptions, dentistry and eye care for care leavers in England up to age 25, but systemic problems persist. Many councils face dire finances, depleted local services, social worker recruitment and retention challenges, and a shortage of foster carers. Children's social care is devolved, leaving Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland—and their further 23,230 looked-after children—outside the English reforms.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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