Extending foster care into early adulthood in England: who could and should benefit

In the past 30 years there have been major advances in the approaches that States have taken to protect and promote the welfare of young people as they negotiate the transition from state care to adulthood. In England there has been a willingness and commitment to improving outcomes for care leavers and this has been accompanied by the development of targeted legislation, statutory guidance and policy initiatives designed to better meet the needs of this group. The article charts these developments and examines implementation of the Staying Put 18+ Family Placement Programme pilot which permitted young people to remain in foster care up to the age of 21. It reveals how strict eligibility criteria may inadvertently deny those with the most complex needs and/or care histories the opportunity to choose whether or not to remain with their carers beyond 18. The article argues that more flexible arrangements are desirable if the State takes its ‘assumed’ and ‘reparatory’ responsibilities as a corporate parent seriously