There should be a national outcry about the government’s decision to withhold the entitlement to care from the over-15s
Terry Galloway and his siblings grew up in care. His sister had a difficult life, which ended when she was murdered by a partner. As children, the Galloways made a pact to try to improve the care system, which is part of the reason why he will travel to Downing Street as part of a delegation of care leavers on Tuesday. Their petition objects to a new law that, because it took the form of secondary legislation, has so far failed to generate the national outcry that it merits. That law makes official in England the practice of forcing children out of care at the age of 16.
Between 2018 and 2020, while living in this type of setting, 22 children aged 16 and 17 died. The government won’t say which councils were responsible for these children, but a review following the death of Caitlin Sharp criticised Worcestershire social services, and said that she should not have been living independently, partly due to her epilepsy. Forcing children to manage life on their own leads to other forms of harm too. Last year, the Together Trust found that 3,253 16- and 17-year-olds were not in education, employment or training while living in non-care settings. More recently, Ofsted published research showing that more than a third of care leavers don’t know where to turn in an emergency, and that money worries make many feel unsafe.
