One in 20 would not offer care leavers a job

Six per cent of people would discriminate against someone in
care by not providing them with employment, according to a report
published by The Prince’s Trust this week to coincide with
the BBC’s ‘Taking Care’ season,
writes Clare Jerrom.

Interviews of more than 1,000 adults found that only 12 per cent
realised there were between 50 and 100,000 children in care in the
UK. (The actual figure is 77,000)

One third of people thought that most children in care live in
children’s homes, when in reality only 10 per cent live in
children’s homes, and almost 70 per cent are fostered. But,
almost a third thought children who were fostered were not in care
at all.

Four out of five people said that young people in care have as
much potential as their peers to succeed. Almost half said they
felt “sympathetic” towards someone who had been in care
and 46 per cent said they felt “supportive”.

The charity called for more to be done to raise awareness of the
circumstances and challenges faced by young people in care, and to
explore new ways to translate sympathy into support. 

Kerry McFadden, the Prince’s Trust ambassador and winner
of the ITV series ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here,
said: “Having been in care, I know about the challenges that
face you, and the misconceptions that people can have.”

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