Supporting Cambridgeshire’s young people with care experience

A St Catharine’s student has been involved in developing and presenting new research that calls for local government to do more to support young people as they transition from care into independence.

Patrick McAlary, a PhD student in the Department of Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, was one of five students from the University of Cambridge who conducted the research for Cambridgeshire County Council as part of the Cambridge University Science and Policy Exchange (CUSPE) Policy Challenges programme.

CUSPE is an organisation run by and for early career researchers. The Policy Challenges programme provides opportunities for researchers to experience policy-making at a local government level, and for Cambridgeshire County Council to benefit from world-class researchers investigating crucial problem.

The research project had three aims:

1. Gather evidence about the barriers that jeopardise the transition into independence,
2. Identify solutions that further outcomes for Cambridgeshire’s young people, and
3. Outline specific policy interventions that would address the barriers that these young people face as they enter independence and that would support a successful and resilient transition into independence

Patrick spoke at a meeting of the Council’s Children and Young People Committee on 17 May, to explain the recommendations from their 158-page report and take questions from the local councillors present. Presenting alongside two of his co-authors, he said:

“Our recommendations provide a path for supporting Cambridgeshire’s young people with care experience. It is accepted in both research and policy contexts that care experience heightens the risk of experiencing worse life outcomes: those with such experience are less likely to be in employment, education or training, and they are more likely to face difficulties in financial, housing and mental health contexts.

“In its role as corporate parent, Cambridgeshire has a responsibility to provide young people with the support that any good parent would bestow upon their own child. The recommendations of this report aim to help the Council in fulfilling this duty.”

Reflecting on the project after the presentation, Patrick commented:

“The report for this Policy Challenge was a prolonged and at times difficult piece of work. Young people leaving care face a sudden transition into independence and many experience additional challenges as they begin to make their way in the world. It is our belief that more can be done to support these young people as they leave care to help equalise the playing field. The experiences of those leaving care and the barriers that they face loomed large in our research, and we believe that specific policy interventions provide a starting point for tackling some of the key challenges and providing a more supportive route forward for Cambridgeshire’s care experienced young people.

“This project has provided a real insight into the challenges that come with trying to inform and influence policy. I am proud of the work that the team produced and especially happy to see areas where our report has made a genuine impact, for instance, in a recent decision by the Council to provide young people leaving care with Council Tax support. We are hopeful that our report will help contribute in some small way to seeing further support provided for young people leaving care in Cambridgeshire.”

Nicola Curley, Director of Children’s Services, added in her covering report:

“The researchers have invested an enormous amount of time in completing their report. Many of their recommendations are very helpful and have been incorporated into our local offer or are under active consideration.”

Another outcome of the report was the setting up of the CUSPE Scholarship by co-authors Ernestine Hui and Ellie Blake, a scheme which is designed to support young people leaving care to gain work experience at Cambridgeshire County Council.

Read the full report.