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Coronavirus and its impact on care-experienced young people

The coronavirus outbreak has significantly impacted on the lives of children in care and young care leavers, creating new challenges and exacerbating existing ones. This briefing outlines our key concerns and offers recommendations for how the government, local authorities and others can support this group.

Since the coronavirus outbreak, we have moved to delivering our advice and support over the phone and online. In the month following lockdown, we worked with more than double the number of young people compared to the same period last year.

View our briefing

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Reports & Responses

Parliametary briefings
Briefing for debate on Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations (2020)
This parliamentary briefing provides background information, a summary of our concerns and recommendations, what we're hearing from young people, and some suggested questions for Members of Parliament attending the House of Commons debate on Wed 10 June about the Adoption and Children (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020.
Policy responses
Response to consultation on unregulated accommodation (2020)
Become's response to the Department for Education's consultation on unregulated provision for children in care and care leavers. We believe that all children in care deserve to receive care up until the age of 18.
Policy responses
Submission to the Education Committee inquiry into the impact of COVID-19 (2020)
In this submission, we detail our concerns about the impacts of COVID-19 on the delivery of statutory services to children and care and care leavers, and identify through our support work ongoing issues around ensuring financial security, accessing entitlements, preventing homelessness, and getting consistent support from professionals at this time.
Parliametary briefings
Coronavirus and its impact on care-experienced young people (2020)
This briefing outlines our key concerns and offers recommendations for how the government, local authorities and others can support care-experienced young people as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
Reports, Research
Supporting care-experienced and estranged students in higher education – responding to Covid-19 (2020)
During the first week of the Covid-19 lockdown over 23-27 March 2020, Become carried out a UK-wide survey of higher education students who are either care-experienced or estranged alongside four other organisations.
Policy and lobbying
Delivering a meaningful review of the care system (2020)
Become and 26 other charities and groups who support care-experienced children and young people across England, submitted an open letter to the Secretary of State, Gavin Williamson MP, urging the government to move forward with a commitment to carry out a ‘bold and broad’ independent review of the care system.
Policy responses, Reports
Submission to the Department for Education’s ‘Children’s home workforce: call for evidence’ (2019)
Given Become’s role, we responded to the questions most relevant to children in care, drawing on what young people with experience of residential care tell us about their experiences to argue for changes which will make a difference to the quality of care they receive.
Policy responses, Reports
Submission to the Education Committee inquiry into the children’s social care workforce (2019)
Our response to the Education Committee inquiry into the children’s social care workforce is significantly informed by what we hear from young people in care through our direct support work, research and listening activity. We also made comment, where appropriate, on wider inquiry questions relating to the capacity of the social care workforce.
Policy responses
Response to Ofsted Education Inspection Framework Consultation (2019)
School is a key part of all children’s lives. For looked after children, school may be one of the few places they find safety, support and stability, but it might also be an environment in which they experience additional vulnerability.
Policy responses
Become Response to OfS Consultation (2018)
Become responded to the questions most relevant to our work with young care leavers and their journeys to, through and beyond higher education. Our responses are informed by recent research and draw on both what young people tell us about their experiences and what we hear from colleagues working in higher education institutions who have a responsibility for supporting care leavers.
Reports, Research
Teachers Who Care (2018)
Teachers Who Care is a research report from Become and Voices from Care Cymru, reporting on our findings from a survey of teachers about their experiences teaching children in care.
Policy responses
Consultation response to the Fostering Stocktake (2017)
Our submission is based on evidence from our research and our work supporting children in care and young care leavers, as well as evidence from meetings of the APPG for Looked After Children and Care Leavers, for which we are the secretariat.
Reports, Research
Perceptions of Care (2017)
Perceptions of Care is a report produced in 2016/17 by Become and Voices from Care as part of the 5 Nations 1 Voice project, funded by the Big Lottery. It explores how children in care and young care leavers think other people, including teachers and social workers think about care.
Publications, Reports, Research
Principles of Care (2015)
Principles of Care, published in spring 2015, sets out our vision for the care system.
Reports
The views and recommendations of children and young people involved in the Care Inquiry (2013)
As part of the Care Inquiry, The Who Cares? Trust consulted children and young people with experience of all different forms of care (adoption, fostering, kinship care and residential care)
Reports
The Care Inquiry (2013)
The Care Inquiry is a collaboration of specialist charities representing all care options for these children

Previous Reports and Responses

Future of Social Care Inspection Questionnaire (2016)

Response to the Children’s Rights Alliance England’s call for evidence about the state of children’s rights (2016)

Response to Ofsted’s consultation on revised re-inspection arrangements for inadequate local authorities (2016)

Response to the Liberal Democrat’s consultation paper for a blueprint on unaccompanied asylum seeking children (2016)

Response to Phase 3 of the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (2016)

Response to the Education Select Committee’s inquiry into Sir Martin Narey’s review of children’s residential care (2016)

Response to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills consultation (2016)

Response to Sir Martin Narey’s review of children’s residential care (2016)

Evidence to the Education Select Committee about the mental health and wellbeing of looked after children (2015)

Evidence to the Education Select Committee about the work of Ofsted (2015)

Evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on Social Mobility (2015)

Response to the Department for Education’s consultation on the draft statements of knowledge and skills on child and family social work for practice supervisors and one for practice leaders (2015)

Response to the Department for Education and Department of Health’s consultation on revisions to the 2009 Statutory Guidance on Promoting the Health and Well-being of Looked After Children (2015)

Response to the joint consultation on joint targeted area inspections (2015)

British Youth Council Youth Select Committee inquiry into mental health (2015)

Response to the Department for Education’s consultation on revisions to the Working Together guidance (2015)

Response to Ofsted’s consultation on revisions to the Children’s Home inspection framework (2014)

Staying Put in Residential Care (2014)

Understanding Permanence for Looked After Children (2013)

Open Doors, Open Minds (2012)