
In Derbyshire, the Children’s Services team has been working tirelessly to support care-experienced young people during one of the most critical transitions of their lives – moving from care to independence. With funding secured until March 2025, this initiative is achieving remarkable outcomes, helping some of the most vulnerable individuals navigate challenges and build brighter futures.
The need in Derbyshire
Across Derbyshire, there are approximately 1,100 care-experienced individuals aged 18–25. Of these, 30 young people were identified as part of the most complex cohort, with multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), histories of instability in care, and a higher risk of engaging with the criminal justice system. The intervention was designed to provide intensive, tailored support to this group.
The intervention was initially proposed by a youth justice team manager, and developed further by the team. It focused on enhancing transitions for young people by addressing their emotional and practical readiness for independence. Key components included:
- Enhanced support capacity: additional resources were allocated to the leaving care team, enabling focused support for the identified cohort.
- Therapeutic oversight: workers receive clinical case planning support from therapeutic practitioners and psychologists to better understand and address the lived experiences of care leavers
- Holistic Support: by combining emotional readiness with practical readiness, the intervention ensures that young people are not “set up to fail” when transitioning from care. This collaborative approach leveraged existing expertise within youth justice and children’s services while introducing elements tailored to care leavers.
Key outcomes
The intervention achieved significant results with the most complex care leavers, including:
- A reduction in the number of care leavers in custody, which currently stands at seven – a figure that, while still a challenge, is lower than national averages.
- Increased emotional stability and self-awareness among participants, enabling them to make better choices and build more stable lives.
- Enhanced collaboration between professionals, creating a support network that adapts to the unique needs of each young person leaving care.
- National attention: The success of this program has attracted interest from local authorities and national organizations. Derbyshire’s innovative approach has highlighted a critical gap in services for care-experienced individuals, particularly around post-18 transitions and their intersection with the criminal justice system. Discussions are underway to expand these efforts into a national model of best practice.
We hope to continue working closely with the Leaving Care team and enabling them to support more young people making this difficult transition.