Children's Social Care Innovation Programme: Support for complex adolescents

In 2016, almost two thirds of children in care in England were aged 10 and over. Adolescents coming into care often have different, more diverse and more complex needs than younger children. These complex and interlinked vulnerabilities require comprehensive, whole-person approaches. This is challenging in systems that have traditionally provided discrete services: a YOT worker for antisocial behaviour; a social worker to support relationships with family; a child and adolescent mental health services referral for mental health problems.

Teenagers in and on the edge of care often have multiple vulnerabilities and develop high-risk behaviours, including involvement in gangs, substance misuse and disengaging from education. In addition, around 16,500 young people in England are estimated to be at risk of child sexual exploitation (CSE). These complex needs and their interdependencies require seeing the young person "as a whole" and understanding them in the context of their relationships with family, friends and surroundings, both past and future.