Government Considers £76m Cost of Keeping Children in Residential Care Until 21

Luke Stevenson - Community Care

The government of the U.K. is considering new legislation that would permit children to remain in residential care until the age of 21, says this article from Community Care. The government passed legislation in 2014 that allowed children to remain in foster care until the age of 21 and may soon allow the same for those in group homes. According to the article, the decision to extend residential care up to 21 years old is based on recent research from the Department for Education, which identified four “Staying Put” options for children in residential care and their costs.