Our Lives Our Care
A new report from the charity Coram Voice and the University of Bristol has revealed that 83 per cent of looked after children and young people in England feel being in care has improved their lives.
The 'Our Lives Our Care' report measured the views of 2,263 people across 16 local authority areas.
It found that the longer children and young people have spent in care, the more likely they are to have moderate to high levels of wellbeing.
While the majority of young people are positive about their experiences of care, the findings highlight where improvements are needed, particularly for younger children.
Lead author of the report, Professor Julie Selwyn, Director of the University of Bristol's Hadley Centre for Adoption and Foster Care Studies, commented: "The results of the survey show that most children and young people are flourishing in care but about 18 per cent of young people (11 to 18-year-olds) are not.
"Young people with low well-being did not feel settled and felt that they were being moved from placement to placement. The detrimental impact of a lack of a trusted adult in these children's lives cannot be over-estimated."
The study is part of the Bright Spots programme which enables local authorities to find out directly from young people in care what wellbeing means to them and what areas need to be improved.