The UK government has announced a new care leaver covenant, designed to support care leavers in the transition to independent adulthood, according to this article from the Guardian. The article tells the story of one care leaver, Hawa Koroma, who is now a first year university student, despite the challenges she's faced as a teen mother who spent time in a care home. Koroma appears to be an exception, however. "There are 72,000 children in care in England, and they face far worse life chances than their peers. They face a much higher risk of homelessness, teenage pregnancy and unemployment. And just 6% of young people with experience of the care system will attend university, compared with almost 50% in the general population." The covenant aims to address this by encouraging universities to increase their support services for care leavers, including supporting mental health, priority accommodation, finance and study skills.
