From Care to Crisis: Why Too Many Looked-After Children End Up Homeless — And How Genuine Futures Is Bridging the Gap
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Published: October 2025
In September 2025, the Department for Education released a sobering report on improving the outcomes of looked-after children and young people with complex needs. The findings confirm what many of us already know: too many young people in care are being failed by the system and left vulnerable to poverty, trauma, exclusion, and homelessness.
The Statistics We Can’t Ignore
- There are over 83,000 children in care in England (DfE, 2024)
- By age 18, around 40% of children in care leave the system suddenly, often without stable housing or family support.
- Within two years of leaving care, nearly 1 in 3 care leavers experience homelessness.
- Research also shows care-experienced young people are 7 times more likely to end up homeless than their peers.
- Many end up insecurely housed, sofa surfing, or in unsafe environments — a cycle that fuels poor mental health, exploitation, and involvement in the justice system.
These numbers don’t just represent statistics. They represent lives at risk of being written off.
What the Report Says
- The new DfE review highlights that children in care with complex needs often face:
- Placement breakdowns and constant moves
- Poor access to therapeutic support
- Delayed intervention (help arriving only in crisis)
- Increased likelihood of being placed in secure accommodation or subject to Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders.
As the report states: “Too many children are being deprived of their liberty because of our shared failure to meet their needs and keep them safe in the community.”
From Care to Homelessness: A Lived Reality
At Genuine Futures, we see these realities every day. Many of the young people we support have been looked-after, excluded, or justice-experienced. Some have known the pain of sofa surfing, emergency accommodation, or street homelessness.
Our Lived Experiences Team — made up of people who have faced these same struggles — brings authenticity and empathy into every programme. They know what it feels like to be written off and to face doors being closed. And that’s exactly why they are committed to making sure today’s young people are not left to fall through the cracks.
The Genuine Futures Response
The Young Futures Hub and our programmes like Boss Your Future and Restore Young Futures exist to break this cycle. We provide:
- A safe, comfortable hub — offering belonging, trust, and consistency.
- Youth-led enterprise — We Shine Any Car, a car care and valeting enterprise that teaches teamwork, responsibility, and customer service.
- Mentoring & Coaching — 1:1 sessions and group support tailored to NEET and SEND young people, including care leavers.
- Practical pathways — Routes into apprenticeships, employment, and self-employment.
- Mental health & wellbeing support — Connection, conversation, and collaboration reduce isolation and build resilience.
Youth Voice: Why It Matters
Real voices prove the difference:
- “Since joining Genuine Futures, my son has grown in ways I never imagined. For the first time, he feels like he belongs. He comes home smiling, full of purpose.” — Parent of a care-experienced young person
- “This gave me a reason to get up and connect again. Now I’m helping others find their voice too.” — Luis, Community Youth Voice Champion
- “I knew I didn’t want a 9-5, but I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Genuine Futures gave me confidence and helped me turn my love for cheesecake into a business.” — Brianna, BloomiesBaked
Why This Matters for Care Leavers
Without intervention, too many looked-after children go from care to crisis:
- From local authority support to homeless hostels
- From placement instability to prison cells
- From being written off to lifelong marginalisation
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Mike Alleyne, Co-Director of Genuine Futures, explains:
“Restore Young Futures is about more than preventing disengagement. It’s about building belonging. It’s about showing care-experienced and vulnerable young people that their past does not define their future.”
A Call to Action
We need to do more than raise awareness. We need to create alternatives that work. That means:
- Schools partnering with us to deliver Restore Young Futures for those at risk of exclusion.
- Businesses stepping up as sponsors, mentors, and role models.
- Councils and commissioners investing in enterprise-based interventions.
- Communities recognising that every young person has potential — including those who have been written off.
Final Thoughts
The DfE’s latest report is a wake-up call. The numbers are clear: looked-after children remain at higher risk of homelessness, exploitation, and exclusion.
But Genuine Futures is proof that with the right support — enterprise, mentoring, safe spaces, and youth voice — young people don’t just survive. They thrive.
Learn more about our programmes: www.genuinefutures.co.uk
Support our youth-led car wash: We Shine Any Car Fundraising Campaign
Partner with us to ensure no young person falls through the cracks.