Researchers call for more care leaver support

By The Press Association29th December 2014News EnglandCare Leavers, Courts / Justice, News England, Young People / Youth Work, Youth Work

Children leaving social care should be given greater support to prevent them from falling into a life of crime, researchers have said.

A pilot scheme to address the often-neglected needs of care leavers in the criminal justice system could play a vital part in a wider strategy to deal with their problems, criminologist experts have said.

Children in care account for less than 1% of the total population. But 24% of the adult male prison population and 31% of the adult female prison population were taken into care as a children, according to figures from the Ministry of Justice.

Dr Claire Fitzpatrick, a lecturer in criminology at Lancaster University, and Patrick Williams, a senior lecturer in criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University, said funding and resources should be made available to roll out the Clear Approach programme.

It follows a successful pilot in Greater Manchester to avoid young care leavers “being abandoned” by local authorities.

Those taking part in the project, run by the Care Leavers Association charity, were given the chance to talk about their experiences in care to other people, who have also gone through the system.

The participants were also given information about the support they might be entitled to under leaving care legislation.

The lecturers, co-authors of the report into the programme, said: “Nationally, there is very little specific support available to care leavers in the criminal justice system and an intervention, like Clear Approach, has great potential to help fill this gap.

“The particular vulnerability of care leavers was reinforced through interviews with a sample of the young men.

“The analysis leaves us in little doubt that care leavers as a group need specific, specialist attention when they come into contact with the justice system.

“We identified a number of very positive features of the intervention. The space to talk about care experiences to someone else who had been there was clearly valued by some of the young men, particularly when they had very little conventional support available to them from elsewhere.

“Also of crucial importance was the knowledge gained about what support individuals might be entitled to under existing legislation for those leaving care.

“And a further key factor was the increase in confidence that care leavers reported through being helped to make sense of, and articulate, often difficult past family experiences.”

However, researchers also found a number of barriers to the programme including “the often-chaotic lives of the young men involved”.

Dr Fitzpatrick added: “A lack of knowledge and understanding about care leaver issues and the purpose of the Clear Approach intervention itself led to uncertainty amongst some front-line practitioners and a certain amount of fear about even asking the care question.

“This linked in with concerns about stigma and labelling the young men.”