New research from University College London, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, paints a complicated picture of the vulnerability and resilience of care leavers.
The pioneering research ‘Long-term outcomes for care-experienced parents and children‘ paints a complicated picture of the vulnerability, disadvantage and resilience of care leavers. It highlights the persistence and inter-generational nature of the adversity that care leavers experience, and demonstrates how disadvantage can be moderated through the provision of long-term care and support.
The proposal that care experience should be considered a protected characteristic under equalities legislation, to give care leavers legal protections provided to other vulnerable groups, emerges as a clear recommendation from the research.Ash Patel (Programme Head for Justice at the Nuffield Foundation)
The research involved parents and their children taking part in the Millennium Cohort Study, which follows people born across the UK between 2000 and 2002. Of the more than 18,000 mothers included in the analysis, around 300 (1.7%) reported that they had lived in a children’s home or in foster care during childhood.
This is the first UK study to show that the emotional scars associated with growing up in care are passed down through generations.Lead author, Dr Sam Parsons (UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies)
Key findings:
- care leavers and their children were at greater risk of mental health difficulties than mothers who hadn’t lived in care
- care leavers were more likely to experience multiple disadvantages in health, education and employment
- more than a quarter of mothers who grew up in care went on to gain educational qualifications and have stable employment
- children of resilient mothers (the above 27%) were more likely to get good grades at school than the children of other care leavers, doing just as well as their peers whose parents had not experienced care
- however, children of these resilient mothers were still more likely to report poor mental health than children whose parents hadn’t been in care.
Children of care leavers in adulthood?
The researchers were also able to look at the experiences of the children of care leavers throughout adulthood by using data from the 1970 British Cohort Study, which follows more than 17,000 people born in Great Britain during one week in 1970. By their mid-40s, children of care leavers had spent less time in education and employment, and tended to report worse mental health than their peers whose parents had not been in care.
Dr Parsons explained: “Although many of the care leavers in the study suffered multiple socioeconomic disadvantages and were more likely to experience mental health issues and chaotic home lives, our new research shows that with the right support care leavers can thrive as adults and parents, leading healthy, productive lives.
“An enduring safety net of secure housing and supportive relationships can be a lever for building resilience among care leavers and their families. This is crucial to break the vicious cycle of disadvantage and care experience.”
