It might sound obvious that – as Benjamin Zephaniah wrote – “People will always need people / To make life appealing / And give life some meaning.” But the care system has not always behaved as though relationships are a condition of human flourishing. So it is good to see this simple yet crucial idea reflected in the latest announcement about support for care leavers in England. The broken connections that become a feature of too many young people’s lives are increasingly recognised as a key reason for their later vulnerability.

Some local councils already have support in place for young people who want to reconnect with relatives, trusted adults such as former teachers or social workers, and old friends. Last week the government announced a national version, billed as a Who Do You Think You Are?-style service for care leavers, with an initial budget of £8.4m. The hope is that supporting older teenagers to restore links will reduce the risk of isolation and help them to find their feet. While many care leavers already make a successful transition to independent living, they face disproportionate risks of homelessness, poor mental health, prison and even death.

Figures released last month showed that 106 young care leavers died in England in the year to April, up from 91 in the previous 12 months. Ministers have commissioned a review, which will attempt to find out what could have been done to help them. The obligation to provide formal notifications of such deaths, introduced in 2023, appears to have focused minds on the scale of the problem.

Since most children are removed from birth parents due to neglect or abuse, they should clearly be helped to rejoin family networks only where this is safe, and likely to be beneficial. Outcomes will need careful monitoring. But the broader aim of rebuilding connections, and reducing a young person’s sense of being dislocated from their own past, is a good one. The new service builds on the decision taken earlier this year to make local authorities responsible for supporting relationships between siblings who are in care, as well as contact with parents. Campaigners including Chris and Jonny Hoyle, who fought to be reunited when they were teenagers in foster care, pushed for this change for years.

Essential as they are, young people’s relationships cannot make up for all the losses and difficulties associated with the care experience – including the cliff edge that most face when they leave, usually aged 18 but sometimes earlier. In his recent report on young people and work, Alan Milburn referred to care leavers being “set up to fail” by a system that strips away support at the moment they reach adulthood, when most young people are still living with parents. A shocking 40% of this cohort – nearly three times the average rate – are not in education, employment or training by age 20.

Practical support has been enhanced in some areas, for example with a new entitlement to free prescriptions and dental care up to age 25. But if the prospects of this vulnerable group are to be significantly boosted, the state will have to take more responsibility for helping them with the material challenges of early adulthood too. Reunions with old friends are of limited use to young people who lack housing or access to education and jobs.

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