Bedfordshire University to investigate the impact of Covid-19 on those leaving foster care after being given £297k funding

A team of academics from the University of Bedfordshire have secured £297,000 funding to study how teenage care leavers have been impacted by the knock-on effects of the pandemic.

They typically leave their foster homes or residential placements between 16-18 years and cannot always rely on receiving as much practical, emotional or family support as their peers, once they have moved out.

The health, social and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic has heightened the challenges they are likely to face at a stage in their lives which can be difficult for young people under normal circumstances.

With the study taking place over 18 months from November 2020, principal investigator, Professor Emily Munro will work alongside Fiona Newlands and Amy Lynch, research fellows with Bedfordshire’s Institute of Applied Social Research, and Dr Claire Baker – an independent research & policy consultant based in York.

Past research shows that young people leaving care can feel isolated and abandoned during the transition from care and that they are vulnerable to poverty, homelessness, mental ill-health and unemployment.

Professor Munro said: “Our hope is that this research will contribute to understanding the impact that the pandemic has had on the health and wellbeing of care leavers and will help inform the development of services and support that are responsive to the diverse needs of young people leaving care.”

The study will involve analysis of quantitative data from around 900 care leavers and in-depth interviews with senior and operational managers from over 20 local authorities in England. Around 50 care leavers and their key workers will also be interviewed.

The ‘Care Leavers, Covid-19 and the Transition from Care’ (CCTC) research project is being jointly funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ECRC), part of UK Research & Innovation’s rapid response to Covid-19.