From Care Home to Found Family: How One Programme Is Changing Young Lives

The Moment Care Ends — And the Void That Follows

For most teenagers, turning 18 means birthday celebrations, university applications, and the comfort of a family home to fall back on. For the estimated 80,000 children currently in the care system in England, it can mean something far more isolating — the abrupt withdrawal of support, with little more than a housing referral and a benefits form to navigate adult life.

This jarring transition has long been described by professionals and young people alike as the "cliff edge" — a point at which a structured, if imperfect, system of care can vanish almost overnight. But a government-backed initiative is working to soften that fall, and for some, to eliminate it entirely.

Poppie's Story: Finding a Family After Care

Poppie was just 10 years old when a breakdown in her relationship with her mother led to her being placed in the care system. She initially lived with a foster family before moving into a children's home in Hertfordshire, where she remained until shortly before her 18th birthday.

With no contact with her birth family, Poppie entered adulthood last year facing the kind of isolation that many care leavers know all too well. But thanks to a government-funded initiative called the Finding Family programme, she didn't face it alone.

Brigitte Marshall, 58, and her son Reuben, 24, both of whom had worked as support staff at Poppie's care home, became her anchor. Reuben had served as her key worker and played a pivotal role in helping her prepare for and sit her GCSEs. Today, the pair accompany her to medical appointments, helped her select a college course, and welcome her into their family life — BBQs, social outings, and music festivals included.

"It means so much having Brigitte and her family in my life," says Poppie, now 18, who affectionately calls Brigitte "mummy Brigitte."

This September, Poppie will begin a health and care college course, with ambitions of becoming a doctor — a future that once felt out of reach.

"I had no-one else, so to feel part of a family after leaving care is making a huge difference," she says.

For Brigitte, the motivation was straightforward. "When you leave care, you get support sorting out housing, finance and education — but you need more than that. I just wanted her to feel valued, loved and supported."

How the Finding Family Programme Works

Under the Finding Family scheme, young people in or leaving care are assigned a dedicated coordinator — employed by their local council — whose role is to help them build or rebuild meaningful relationships with trusted adults.

Those adults don't have to be biological relatives. They can include estranged family members, former teachers, sports coaches, or, as in Poppie's case, people encountered during their time in care. The coordinator helps facilitate, plan, and nurture these connections in a safe and structured way.

Since its pilot launch in 2023, the programme has been rolled out across 25 local areas in England. Early results are encouraging: young people supported through the scheme have formed an average of nearly two meaningful relationships each, and more than a third have been helped to reconnect with members of their family.

Mackenzie's Journey Back to His Roots

Mackenzie, 20, is another young person who has benefited from the programme. He spent six years in care following the death of his mother and a subsequent breakdown in his relationship with his father. Placed in a care home in Norfolk — far from his family roots in Hertfordshire — he found himself geographically and emotionally distant from the people who might otherwise have supported him.

His coordinator worked to bridge that gap. While Mackenzie had maintained some contact with his father during his time in care, she helped him re-establish relationships with a wider network: aunts, uncles, cousins, and even a half-sister he had lost touch with. She also organised a family reunion to help bring those connections to life.

"It's wonderful to feel close to them again," Mackenzie says. "I still have trauma from my childhood and sometimes need some time out — but there would be a big hole in my life if I didn't have the contact I do now."

He credits his coordinator with creating "a safe space" in which those relationships could be carefully and thoughtfully rebuilt.

Government Commits £8.4 Million to Expand the Scheme

The experiences of young people like Poppie and Mackenzie have helped build the case for expanding the programme nationally. The Department for Education has announced £8.4 million in funding over the next three years, with the aim of ensuring every child in care — and every young person leaving the system — is offered this kind of relationship-building support.

Children's minister Josh MacAlister described the investment as a crucial step in helping care leavers "achieve and thrive."

"Too many children leave care without the lifelong relationships that most of us rely on for love, support and stability throughout adulthood," he said.

While similar support does exist in pockets across the country — delivered independently by individual councils or charitable organisations — provision has historically been inconsistent and unequal. The new funding is intended to address that disparity and create a more uniform standard of care across England.

Part of a Broader Reform Agenda

This investment forms one strand of a wider government programme to overhaul children's social care. Alongside the Finding Family expansion, the reforms include plans to increase the number of available foster placements, keep children in care closer to their home communities, and extend council-provided support on housing and employment issues up to the age of 25.

For professionals in the sector, the direction of travel is welcome — but advocates stress that sustainable funding and genuine commitment will be essential if the changes are to reach every young person who needs them.

For Poppie, the difference is already tangible. She has a college place, a future she's excited about, and a family that calls her their own. It may not be the start she was given — but it may well be the foundation she needed.