A new national service is being launched to help young people leaving the care system in England reconnect with family and friends they lost touch with while in care. The initiative, inspired by the television show Who Do You Think You Are?, aims to provide care leavers with a stable support network as they transition to adulthood.
Background and Need
Turning 18 as a care leaver in England has been described as a "cliff edge," where young people suddenly lose access to social workers and support staff who provided daily advocacy and crisis help. This abrupt loss of a constant adult presence can lead to isolation and vulnerability. In 2024, one in ten children in care moved homes three or more times in a year, and more than one in five lived more than 20 miles from their home community, making lost relationships common.
Personal Story: Hannah's Experience
Hannah, a 22-year-old from Hertfordshire, used a family-finding service to reconnect with an aunt and school friends she hadn't seen in years. "It's really nice to have more of a trusted network now," she said. "We as young people need this. We need this to make true connections and find our value." She noted that the service helped her reconnect with her inner child and remember a time with fewer worries.
How the Service Works
The government has announced £8.4 million in funding for the national service. A specially trained coordinator will work with each young person to identify important people in their life and safely locate them using social care records, old school reports, and public birth and marriage registries. Reunions will be supported with a plan in place to ensure stability.
Government and Ministerial Statements
Children's Minister Josh MacAlister said the new system would "make enduring relationships a central priority of the care system for the first time." He criticized the current system for breaking rather than building relationships, often due to short-term safety decisions that rupture long-term connections. He highlighted that many care leaver deaths involve very isolated young people, and the program aims to reduce these tragedies by ensuring a better support network.
Last month, government data showed more than 100 young people died after leaving social services in England in the past year, which MacAlister called "a stain on our society." He emphasized the need for interdependence rather than pushing young people towards independence.
Existing Schemes and Results
Family-finding schemes already exist in some local authority areas and have shown promising results. Participating young people gained an average of nearly two additional meaningful relationships. More than a third reconnected with immediate family members, while others rebuilt connections with former teachers, social workers, and other trusted adults.
MacAlister has called for every young person leaving care to have at least two people in their life who love them. While some questioned how to measure love, he argued that the absence of this focus leaves many care-experienced young people vulnerable, especially at age 18.
