Young people departing from the care system are finding renewed stability and belonging through a publicly funded initiative that helps them maintain lifelong connections with caring individuals. The Finding Family programme, which has been running since 2023, matches care leavers to coordinators who promote and enable lasting bonds with people who have had a meaningful impact on their lives. For teenagers like Poppie, 18, who lived for eight years in a Hertfordshire care home with no relationship with her birth family, such connections have proved life-changing. With support from Brigitte Marshall and her son Reuben—both ex-care home staff—Poppie is now pursuing a health and care course with aspirations of becoming a doctor. The initiative addresses what many characterise as the sharp end of leaving care, when help can abruptly end just as young people need it most.
From separation to community
The shift from care to independent life is often brutally abrupt. Young people who have remained in the system abruptly discover themselves without the regular assistance frameworks that shaped their existence. For many, this moment—commonly referred as the “sharp drop”—represents a terrifying plunge into isolation at precisely the moment when psychological wellbeing is most crucial. Poppie’s experience could easily have followed this trajectory. Without family connections and encountering the challenge of handling independent living entirely alone, she faced an uncertain future. Yet the Finding Family programme took action, understanding that what young people leaving care need extends far beyond the concrete help of accommodation and financial guidance.
Brigitte Marshall’s instinct to provide Poppie greater depth—genuine family connection and unwavering backing—reflects a significant change in how we handle care transitions. Rather than viewing the end of formal care as a conclusion, the programme approaches it as a fresh start, building connections that can sustain young people through their period of greatest need. Mackenzie, 20, likewise discovered that his support worker’s work to reconnect him with estranged relatives reshaped his sense of belonging. He now maintains regular contact with aunts, uncles, cousins and a half-sister he had become disconnected from during his time in care. These aren’t merely social arrangements; they signify the difference between feeling abandoned and experiencing appreciation.
- Poppie participates in family gatherings, social occasions and outings with the Marshalls
- Reuben assisted Poppie through her GCSEs as her primary support worker
- Mackenzie’s coordinator organised a family gathering with his extended family
- Care leavers access support with accommodation, financial assistance and educational support
Government initiative addresses the social care cliff
The Finding Family programme represents a deliberate policy intervention created to tackle one of the most significant difficulties in the British care landscape: the sharp reduction of help once young people hit 18. In operation since 2023 with government funding, the scheme acknowledges that leaving care needs more than concrete help with housing and money. It acknowledges that psychological wellbeing, family connection and a true feeling of inclusion are fundamental to successful transitions into adult life. By supporting these connections prior to young people exiting care, the programme aims to prevent the devastating isolation that has traditionally marked the abrupt transition point.
Early findings suggest the strategy is proving effective. Young adults supported through the programme report significantly improved wellbeing and stronger foundations for independent living. Poppie’s transformation from a young person leaving care with no family contact to a young adult with real family connections illustrates the programme’s capacity. Likewise, Mackenzie’s rebuilding of relationships with his wider family has given him a protective foundation during difficult moments. These outcomes reveal that prioritising relationship-building during the care transition period can yield significant positive outcomes, transforming what might in other circumstances be a damaging break into a constructive pathway to adulthood.
How the Family Finding programme operates
At its heart, the Finding Family programme assigns each care leaver a specialist coordinator who works methodically to recognise and build family connections. Rather than allowing young people to handle these relationships independently, coordinators actively facilitate connections with relatives—whether birth parents, wider family or supportive adults from their care backgrounds. The process commences prior to a young person leaves care, providing time for relationships to develop naturally and for any issues to be resolved with expert guidance. Coordinators also help mediate where family relationships have been fractured or under stress, providing the psychological support essential for effective reunification.
The programme’s key advantage lies in its comprehensive methodology. Coordinators do more than just coordinate introductions; they facilitate the development of purposeful joint activities, from family gatherings to attending events together. They provide ongoing support as young people navigate the complexities of these relationships whilst handling the wider difficulties of independent living. This continued engagement distinguishes the Finding Family approach from standard care handovers, where support commonly ceases sharply at age 18. By maintaining a coordinator’s direction during the vital opening phase of independence, young individuals have access to expert guidance and psychological comfort at the moment when it matters most.
- Coordinators recognise and develop family bonds prior to young people exiting care
- The scheme supports purposeful collective moments and family gatherings
- Specialist assistance extends past age 18 in the transition timeframe
- Programme addresses practical requirements and emotional wellbeing needs
Genuine results from integrated assistance
The demonstrable positive outcomes of coordinated family support are apparent when examining the accounts of care leavers who have participated in the Finding Family programme. Young people report significantly improved emotional wellbeing, diminished social isolation and a strengthened sense of belonging as they progress to self-reliance. Beyond the psychological advantages, the scheme has shown tangible results: care leavers maintain secure accommodation, pursue education and employment with increased self-assurance, and develop resilience through understanding they possess trustworthy figures to turn to during difficult moments. These documented enhancements suggest that prioritising family relationships produces benefits that go well past the immediate transition period, determining sustained life outcomes and mental health outcomes.
| Outcome | Impact |
|---|---|
| Emotional wellbeing | Reduced isolation and increased sense of belonging and security |
| Educational progression | Greater confidence pursuing courses and qualifications with family support |
| Housing stability | More secure living arrangements through family networks and guidance |
| Resilience building | Access to trusted adults for advice during challenging periods |
Mackenzie’s path to reconnection
Mackenzie’s story illustrates how coordinated intervention can restore fractured family bonds. Placed in care in Norfolk following his mother’s death and his father’s difficulties, Mackenzie was geographically isolated from his wider family in Hertfordshire. His Finding Family coordinator understood that reconnection went further than his father—aunts, uncles, cousins and a half-sister offered untapped sources of care and inclusion. By means of structured support, these connections were deliberately strengthened and solidified through organised family gatherings that enabled Mackenzie to develop genuine kinship subsequent to prolonged separation.
The results have proven transformative for Mackenzie. He now describes feeling close to his extended family again, a outcome that would have been unlikely without professional intervention. Whilst he recognises persistent difficulties from his childhood experiences, Mackenzie emphasises that maintaining family ties provides crucial psychological stability. The coordinator’s work didn’t simply reconnect him to relatives; it rebuilt his sense of identity and belonging within a broader family unit, fundamentally altering his prospects as an independent adult.
Expanding support services throughout the country
The Finding Family programme, trialled since 2023, demonstrates a significant change in how local authorities approach care leavers transitions to independence. Rather than allowing young people to face the so-called “cliff edge” when formal care concludes, the scheme offers specialist coordinators who actively work to reinforce family connections and build lasting networks of support. Preliminary data point to the model resolves a significant shortfall in existing services, where practical support for housing and finance often eclipses the emotional and relational requirements that demonstrate themselves to be equally vital for long-term stability and wellbeing.
Expanding this approach throughout the nation could transform outcomes for many care leavers each year. The programme’s success hinges on recognising that family connections—whether biological, extended or chosen—provide invaluable foundations for adult life. By investing in coordinators who are skilled in trauma-informed practice and family dynamics, councils can help young people build resilience through belonging rather than relying solely on institutional support. The financial investment required for national expansion pales in comparison to the long-term savings from fewer mental health services needed, housing instability and social exclusion.
- Dedicated coordinators actively identify and develop potential family connections for each care leaver
- Structured planning facilitates family meetings and formalises relationships through regular contact
- Trauma-sensitive practice recognises that emotional support complements tangible help with housing and education
- Timely support during transition phase establishes foundations for lifelong family involvement and stability
Remaining challenges and upcoming priorities
Despite the Finding Family programme’s encouraging results, significant obstacles remain in delivering consistent support to all care leavers across England. Resource constraints mean that many local authorities lack the funding to employ specialist staff, leaving young people without expert support to rebuild fractured family relationships. Physical location compounds these challenges, particularly for care leavers placed far from their home communities. Additionally, not all young people have feasible family ties to reconnect with, requiring alternative approaches that recognise chosen families and mentoring relationships as just as important sources of security and connection.
Policymakers must develop the programme whilst recognising that uniform approaches prove ineffective in supporting such a varied population. Training coordinators in trauma-informed practice is essential, as many care leavers bear significant emotional burdens from their backgrounds. Sustained funding beyond pilot phases will determine whether this scheme can genuinely transform outcomes or stays a good-faith yet restricted intervention. The government’s commitment to expanding the scheme nationally will signal whether supporting care leavers’ emotional wellbeing truly sits at the same level as housing and financial assistance in policy priorities.
Structural issues still to address
The “cliff edge” phenomenon continues because support frameworks and services for adults function in distinct compartments, with minimal communication between them. Young people leaving care often experience bureaucratic delays in obtaining housing support, education funding and mental health services, making them at risk during key timeframes. Local councils contend with conflicting financial demands, leaving investment in family reconnection prevention schemes difficult to justify against pressing emergency measures. Without legislative change mandating councils to give priority to care leavers’ relational needs in addition to concrete help, advancement continues uneven and reliant on personal dedication rather than system-wide transformation.
Furthermore, the stigma associated with care experience can impede family reconnection efforts, notably when relatives harbour negativity and lack of understanding about why the young person entered the system. Some care leavers lack any locatable relatives or experience scenarios where reconnection poses safeguarding risks. The current programme relies heavily on supportive family participation and dedicated support staff, but fails to tackle general societal views towards those with a care background. Achieving meaningful change requires changes in attitudes within social work, education and employment sectors to appreciate care leavers’ strength and capability rather than focusing on what they lack.