One year on, is Staying Put helping young people in foster care?

Bernie Egan’s* 18-year-old foster daughter has been “part of the family” ever since she arrived as a neglected nine-year-old weighing four stone. In the past, she would have been expected to leave foster care when she turned 18. However, as a result of the government’s Staying Put legislation, which came into force in 2014, she can now remain until she is 21.

Newly published figures from the Department of Education (DfE) show that, under Staying Put, 25% of young people have remained with their foster carers. This has been broadly welcomed as a good start; while there are no figures from before the legislation, one estimate puts it at only 5%.

Fostering charities have campaigned for a Staying Put policy for years, and similar policies have now been enacted throughout the UK. The policy recognises that most 18-year-olds, particularly if they have a troubled background, are not ready for independent living. Evidence from a pilot study suggests that outcomes are better for those who remain with their foster carer.