Fear and ordeals of young people leaving care highlighted in Barnardo’s report

Too many young people without family safety net placed in mouldy and unsafe housing, charity warns

Some young people are jettisoned from the care system into unsuitable independent housing as young as 17 (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Young people leaving the care system are regularly placed in homes riddled with mould, anti-social behaviour and drug abuse, according to a new report by Barnardo’s.

The research underlines the stark disparities between the support given to people when they leave their family home compared to what care leavers face.

The vast majority of care leavers interviewed by Barnardo’s for their report No Place Like Home said they had no choice where they lived when they were moved out of the care system and were unprepared for the realities of independent living.