What are the biggest problems facing children in care?

We caught up with experts on children in care, including celebrity care leaver Paul Barber, on what are some of the biggest problems facing these young people

By Luke Stevenson on April 29, 2015 in Care Leavers, Children, Fostering and adoption, Looked after children, Residential childcare

Photo: Maya Kruchancova/Fotolia

Paul Barber, or ‘Denzil!’ as Only Fools and Horses fans may know him, is well known for his role on Britain’s best loved sitcom – and movies like ‘The Full Monty’ – but possibly less well known for having grown up in foster care.

Barber wrote the book ‘Foster Kid: A Liverpudlian Childhood’, where he spoke about growing up in the care system in the 1950s.

Now he, along with his social worker foster brother Ben, advocate for the needs of young people in care.

Last month, both Paul and Ben attended an ‘Ignite’ event run by the National Children’s Bureau. They joined a group of experts and people working with children in care to discuss projects to improve outcomes for vulnerable young people.

We caught up with several of these experts, as well as Paul and Ben who grew up in the care system, and asked the question: What is the biggest problem facing children in care?

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnXriXE3m3U[/youtube]