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home. Three care leavers at the time of the study, who were receiving a lot of
support with living in their accommodation, commented that they felt in a more
fortunate position compared with other young people who lacked the support and
financial assistance they had been given to afford to live independently.

What helped young people access and use housing services

In terms of accessing housing, a key factor was having friends or family
that they could turn to. Ford et al. (2002) commented that transitions to
independence are often marked by spells of return to the parental home before
young people finally have the resources and confidence to sustain stable
accommodation. This was the case for many of the care leavers interviewed. For
example, one female care leaver aged 19 found that turning to her mother for an
interim period of time was a useful stepping stone between leaving care and
gaining permanent accommodation. However, this kind of support from birth
parents was not the experience for all care leavers and was not helpful for other
young people in difficulty who relied more on friends or partners.

During the interviews, respondents were questioned about the levels of
different kinds of formal and informal support they received. Analysis of the
interview data showed that two-thirds of care leavers (mostly those who had left
care after the CLCA 2000) and young people in difficulty considered they had
‘enough support’. Those reporting wanting more support with their daily lives
were care leavers living in social tenancy accommodation or young people in
difficulty living in temporary accommodation. In addition, support was more likely

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