This review, completed by Ashley John-Baptiste and Clare Chamberlain, aims to understand the circumstances surrounding care leaver deaths and identify lessons for policy and practice to help prevent future deaths.
Report – ‘You really are on your own’: A study of the early deaths of young people who were in care
It examines all care leaver death notifications in 2025, identifying key themes and selecting representative young people for more detailed exploration.
The report presents the stories of 6 young people, ages 18 to 24, whose circumstances illustrate the main themes and patterns identified through the review:
- young people in custody in adult prisons
- young women who had experienced the removal of their own children
- suicides of young people going through transgender transitions
- young people seeking asylum
- young people murdered
- young people who died from medical conditions
The report identifies 3 key learning themes:
- being alone and readiness for adulthood
- the drop in levels of support
- workforce to help young people make the transition to adulthood
It identifies 5 broad areas for change:
- workforce
- improved support and awareness for those in custody
- supported accommodation for young people leaving care
- health services for those with medical conditions
- lessons learned following the death of a young person
