PEER-REVIEWED FINAL EDITED VERSION OF ARTICLE PRIOR TO PUBLICATION

The interview findings suggested that relative to other young people in
difficulty, care leavers had access to and were in receipt of more consistent
housing support (largely due to leaving care teams who supported care leavers),
both at the point of leaving care/home and for some time following first transitions
to independent living.

Care leavers’ experiences of accessing housing

Living alone for the first time was described by one care leaver (male,
aged 17), as being ‘a big shock’ and he found being ‘dumped in a flat’ all on his
own very difficult. Feeling unable to cope with the responsibility of managing their
own lives was a common theme for care leavers, with many struggling with
‘having to do everything yourself’ (female care leaver aged 18 years). In addition,
some care leavers in this study, who had left care prior to the CLCA 2000,
reported having had no preparation to help build the skills needed to live alone
(such as budgeting and cooking skills), or found the guidance they had received
to be lacking.

Leaving care also brought great pleasures for care leavers, who reported
that it made them feel ‘free’ and ‘not constantly watched’ (Male care leaver aged
17). Other care leavers in this study, who had left care after the CLCA 2000,
reported they had received the choice of housing they had requested prior to
leaving care thanks to the mediating efforts of their leaving care officer. Such
accounts suggest an improving picture in the collaboration between housing

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