CARE LEAVERS’ TRANSITION INTO THE LABOUR MARKET IN ENGLAND

Neil Harrison, Jo Dixon, David Saunders-Ellis, Poppy Asker, Jade Ward

Research output: Book/ReportOther report

Abstract

Relatively little is known about the factors that
impact pathways into employment for care
leavers. Existing knowledge tends to come
from small-scale qualitative studies and those
focused on education outcomes. These have
suggested that care leavers often face
precarious employment conditions in
marginal or insecure jobs, magnifying the
realities of the prevailing youth labour market.
Many of them can find themselves under
considerable pressure to take work with
limited prospects to meet essential costs in
the absence of family safety nets. The purpose of our study was therefore to
explore risk and protective factors for care
leavers as they enter early adulthood and
begin their employment journeys. Studies of
young people suggest that deprivation, low
qualifications and disability are strongly
associated with being NEET, alongside
parenthood, offending and mental health
issues. Care leavers have a greater
likelihood of appearing in all these groups,
partly explaining their high propensity to be
NEET. However, specific factors associated
with care may also be salient, including type
and stability of placements and the forms of
support offered by the state.
The aim of our study was therefore to provide
novel evidence, founded on large scale
national datasets and qualitative exploration,
to enable policymakers, practitioners and the
research community to better understand
transitions into early adulthood for care
leavers.
Original languageEnglish
PublisherRees Centre Oxford University
Commissioning bodyTHE NUFFIELD FOUNDATION
Number of pages146
Publication statusPublished - 30 Jan 2023

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