10,000 children and young people in care share views on their wellbeing in largest survey of its kind

The views of 10,000 children and young people in care on their wellbeing are published in a new report today (7 October 2022) by Coram Voice and The Rees Centre at University of Oxford. The report summarises responses collected through the largest survey of its kind from children and young people aged 4-18 years between 2016 and 2021, giving unprecedented insight into children in care’s subjective wellbeing.

10,000 Voices reports some encouraging findings, with 83% of children and young people feeling that life is getting better. Compared with the general population of children and young people, a higher proportion reported feeling safe where they live, like school and felt that the adults they live with took an interest in their education.

However, a larger proportion of young people in care (aged 11-18 years) rated themselves as having ‘low life satisfaction’ compared with young people in the general population, and by the teenage years, 1 in 6 reported low overall wellbeing. The report also found that girls had lower wellbeing than boys, and a greater proportion of young people living in residential care or ‘somewhere else’ (mostly supported accommodation) reported lower wellbeing than those living in foster care and kinship foster care.