This report explores options for young people aging out of residential care in the UK (“care leavers”) and the potential challenges and costs of effective implementation of those options. The report identifies four options: (1) care-leavers stay in the same residential care home until the age of 21, (2) care-leavers live in a separate building but on the same grounds as the residential home they were living in, until the age of 21, (3) care leavers live in a different house until the age of 21 (like “supported lodgings”) where not everyone is from care, or (4) care leavers “stay close” to their residential care homes but live independently, maintaining a relationship with the residential home and a key worker. The team solicited feedback from young people and adult care leavers to assess the four options, and determined a recommendation based on that feedback. The report also includes a costing analysis of those options, an examination of practical and regulatory barriers to the options, and recommendations based on these assessments.
