ARU Executive Summary

Executive Summary – March 2021 3 1.1 Background Covid-19 and the associated restrictions on public life have had a huge impact on everyone. For some care leavers the pandemic exacerbated some of the challenges they were already facing. This participatory research project was underpinned by recognising the importance of hearing from care leavers about their experiences and including them in decision-making about support. It was led by Essex County Council and researchers from Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) and involved a research team of 25 care leavers and support workers from six local authorities (LAs): Cornwall, Essex, Hertfordshire, Medway, South Tyneside, and Stockport. 1.2 Methods This research was participatory because it involved care leavers directly in the research process. The research team included 25 care leavers and their support workers from the six LAs and the ARU researchers, who met online across eight sessions. The research had four phases: 1. The research team identified the priority areas for supporting care leavers in their LA and designed an online questionnaire to get the views of other care leavers. 2. The questionnairewas launched and completed by 94 care leavers. 18 members of the research team took part in focus groups to share their experiences of support during the pandemic. 3. Using the priority areas, the ARU researchers analysed the information from the questionnaires and focus groups and the research team agreed the recommendations and decided together how to share the findings. 4. The research team produced various resources including a film, a report and a Prezi presentation and made a call for action from central and local government. 1.3 Findings This summary highlights the key findings from the questionnaire and focus groups: 1.3.1 Practical challenges and support The number of care leavers who were worried about their finances doubled from 22.6% before to 46.2% during the pandemic , often because of losing their job, zero-hour contracts, and difficulties with the furlough scheme or universal credit: “Living on £200 for five weeks is hard when you have rent and bills and food and everything to pay for.” (FG: Female, 18) Some care leavers struggled with moving to independent living: “I moved house during the pandemic and had no one to contact, I didn’t know my PA so couldn’t call to ask for help regarding council tax, or help moving and setting up my new home.” (Q: Female, 20) Many care leavers did not receive support with their finances or practical issues. Some did not need support and were able to manage with careful