Disabled children in care missing out on vital support, report reveals

Disabled children in care and those who have recently left care are missing out on vital support and are widely overlooked in national statistics, according to a new report published by the Coram Institute for Children.

The report, Disability, disparity and demand: Analysis of the numbers and experiences of children in care and care leavers with a disability or long-term health condition, shows that care leavers with a disability or long-term health problem reported lower levels of wellbeing on a range of measures compared to other care leavers – they felt lonelier, less likely to feel safe or settled where they lived, and more likely to report difficulties coping financially.

Stark differences in LA-reported and self-reported disability

The research is the first of its kind to analyse the proportion of disabled children in care and care leavers in England (as recorded by local authorities via a Freedom of Information Request). In total, 11% of children in care and 13% of care leavers are recorded as having a disability.

However, the report found a stark difference in self-reported disability compared to disability reported by professionals in local authorities, with more than a quarter (27%) of children in care and nearly a third (32%) of care leavers reporting a disability.

For both children in care and care leavers, the most common types of disabilities were learning disability, autism and ‘behaviour disabilities’ (e.g. ADHD). As well as these disabilities, care leavers also highlighted mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But there were differences in how professionals and young people saw disability, with some professionals saying they weren’t as confident in their understanding of conditions such as neurodiversity.

Existing research shows children and young people with a disability are at an increased risk of harm and abuse than non-disabled children, they are more likely to live ‘out of area’ away from their families, and they are also more likely to experience multiple moves or live in inappropriate placements.

The report’s authors, Dr Claire Baker and Linda Briheim-Crookall, say it is likely that many of these children who identify as disabled or with long-term health issues do not receive adequate support, with professionals interviewed for the research largely in agreement.

“Law and guidance are designed to ensure children in care with disabilities experience a well-planned, smooth transition from care. It is clear that not all young people do. Advocacy case studies and learning from serious incidents shows evidence of poor processes, non-person-centred approaches, limited recognition of young people’s rights, failure of services to work together and funding issues,” the authors wrote.

Disabled children in care and care leavers are ‘invisible’ in national data

The authors say their report has exposed how little information is currently available to plan and monitor the effectiveness of support for children in care and care leaves with disabilities. They are therefore calling for urgent action to address these ‘stark omissions.’

They have made 19 specific recommendations for government, local authorities and Coram Voice. This includes improving data collection (hearing directly from young people themselves), and improving policy and practice by making services more inclusive and ready to help disabled care-experienced young people, including those who don’t meet the criteria for special services.

“Our work exposes how invisible disabled children in care and care leavers are in our national statistics – underestimation and under-recording of disability means that individual and collective needs and experiences of disabled children in care and care leavers are not fully understood. Currently there is little information available to plan and monitor the effectiveness of support.

“We need urgent action to redress these stark omissions – we make recommendations for improvements in two areas: (1) improve data collection on disability for children in care and care leavers and (2) improve policy and practice,” they conclude.

Lauren Nicolle

Lauren is a qualified journalist who writes primarily across the health and social care sectors. She is passionate about exposing the injustices faced by people with a learning disability, with a particular focus on equal access to healthcare.

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