Unlike care leavers in this study, who seemed to have developed better coping
strategies that included a network of informal support such as family and friends
they could turn to in times of crisis, many other young people in difficulty were
distanced from their families. Relative to care leavers, other young people in
difficulty in this study were also over-represented in their access and use of
temporary or transitional accommodation and experiences of homelessness.
Young people in difficulty in these types of accommodation were the least likely
to have received support with their daily lives. In addition, a third of young people
in difficulty reported life had ‘got harder’ in the year preceding the interview. Such
young people were also more likely (than care leavers) to be living in rooms in
housing projects, where privacy and space were more likely to be compromised.
Particularly lacking for other young people in difficulty was the evidence of
formal support structures to help them access or use accommodation. While
leaving care services have a statutory responsibility for care leavers, there is no
such equivalent status for the voluntary sector services and no legal requirement
to determine what is offered by these services. Users are therefore free to
choose to take up these services and if they fail to provide what they need are
likely to walk away. As a consequence, other young people in difficulty arguably
rely much more than care leavers on their own resources for finding a suitable
service and finding an appropriate person who will advocate on their behalf with
the statutory services.
Although care leavers and other young people in difficulty are severely
disadvantaged relative to the general population, in many cases care leavers,
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