England's Care Leavers Get "Tribe" to Combat Isolation

A new national service, backed by £8.4m in funding, will launch in England to help young adults who have left the care system find lost family and friends. For care leavers turning 18, the transition is often described as a "cliff edge" due to the abrupt loss of social worker support and a consistent adult presence.

This "Who Do You Think You Are?"-style initiative will employ trained coordinators to use social care records and public registries to safely locate important individuals from a young person's past. In 2024, many children in care experienced frequent moves and distance from their communities, making lost relationships common.

The government stated this family-finding system prioritizes enduring relationships within the care system for the first time. Children's minister Josh MacAlister highlighted that the care system often ruptures relationships, leaving young people at risk long-term due to a lack of social support, contributing to high death rates and poor life outcomes.

Existing local family-finding schemes have shown success, with participants gaining an average of two meaningful relationships. The national program aims to reduce the number of young people who die after leaving care, a statistic MacAlister called "a stain on our society." The goal is to foster interdependence rather than just independence for these vulnerable young adults.