CYP Now - University challenge: help for care leavers

Care-experienced young people are significantly less likely to attend university than their peers. Experts explore what support needs to be in place for them to access the benefits of higher education.

Care-experienced young people can benefit from hearing the stories of people from similar backgrounds who have gone on to make a success of their time at university. Picture: Monkey Business/Adobe Stock

Introduction by Michael Sanders, chief executive, What Works for Children’s Social Care

When making government policy, you learn there are no silver bullets – no intervention on its own is going to radically transform the lives of the people you are there to serve. Most have only modest effects when evaluated.

There are two exceptions to this rule. Most prominently in our society today is vaccination. On the social policy side, it’s education.

Research by the Institute of Education finds half of social immobility – which prevents talent from rising to the top – is caused by differential access to education. This unequal access is particularly prominent for young people leaving care.

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