A review found 112 care leavers aged 18 to 24 died in 2025 and are dying at a high rate, with young people facing a dramatic drop in support as they reach adulthood
Young people aged 18-24 are four times more likely to die after leaving care
A review found 112 care leavers aged 18 to 24 died in 2025 and are dying at a high rate, with young people facing a dramatic drop in support as they reach adulthood
News
Shannon Miller
12:35, 25 Aug 2026
Young care leavers in England are dying at a far higher rate than other people their age due to isolation and a severe drop off…
Labour has launched an urgent review into the figures as an expert called for a statutory review of every death
One-fifth of deaths of those in care occur at 18, in what experts call a ‘care cliff’, as vital support is lost
Research also shows teenagers in care are four times more likely to try to end their lives than peers with no care history
Regional access disparities ‘challenge the assumption that low participation is inevitable’
Of the almost three dozen children who died between 2019 and 2025, all had been flagged with child protection services several…
Britain’s young care leaver deaths a ‘national tragedy’
‘He was left on his own’: the care-leaver lives lost to a system that abandons them at 18
Why almost half of young people in UK are having to delay major life milestones
Almost 1million young people are STILL out of work or education
Is it easier for young people to claim benefits than to get a job?
