Care experienced young people face basic practical barriers to accessing their first job
New research by Action for Children and the John Lewis Partnership shows a quarter of care-experienced people struggle to land their first job due to a lack of ID to prove eligibility to work.
New research by Action for Children, funded by the John Lewis Partnership Foundation through their Building Happier Futures programme, shows care-experienced people face practical barriers to finding and beginning their first job, such as access to ID documentation, suitable work clothing and access to public transport.
The findings come ahead of an interim report from the UK Government’s flagship review into youth unemployment and economic inactivity, led by former health secretary Alan Milburn, which will highlight the challenges young people face accessing work.
Around one in eight 16–24-year-olds are currently not in education, employment or training - with care-experienced young people disproportionately disadvantaged.
The new polling compared over 1,400 people with experience of the care system (including care leavers*) and over 400 people without, finding many universal challenges for young people seeking and starting their first jobs, irrespective of background.
Lots of young people struggle with writing their CV, preparing for job interviews and conducting themselves in a work environment, for example.
However, care-experienced people - in particular care leavers - at are a significant disadvantage compared to the general population when securing and starting work, on a range of measures. One of these is practical barriers.
In our research, the general population was almost twice as likely to report that they had not been affected by any of the practical barriers, compared to those who have experienced care (61% and 31% respectively).
- A quarter (25%) of care-experienced respondents said they did not have ID documentation, such as a passport or driving licence to prove their right to work in the UK, compared to 11% of those from the general population.
- One in four (25%) care-experienced respondents reported having no or limited access to work-appropriate clothing, compared with 10% of those without care experience.
- Nearly a quarter (24%) of care-experienced respondents reported having no or limited access to a device such as a mobile phone or computer, compared with 7% of those without care experience.
- Nearly a quarter (24%) of care-experienced respondents reported having limited or no access to the internet, compared with just 8% of those without care experience .
- Almost one in four (24%) care-experienced respondents reported having no or limited access to public transport, compared with 17% of those without care experience.
- One in five (20%) care-experienced respondents reported having no or limited access to a washing machine, compared with 3% of those without care experience.
The research found affordability to be the primary reason why care-experienced people were unable to secure ID documents and use public transport for work - two of the practical barriers we polled on.
This suggests that financial difficulties - and in some cases poverty - plus housing instability can play a significant role in holding care-experienced people back from entering employment.
Lisa Hibbert, Service Coordinator at Action for Children’s Skills+** Pan Wales service says: “Young people with care experience do not lack ability or ambition, but they do face barriers to finding and progressing in work,”
“What we see every day is that care-experienced young people face a build-up of practical, emotional and systemic obstacles that their peers are far less likely to encounter. Something as basic as access to a passport or driving licence can stop a motivated young person in their tracks.
“Alongside this, many young people are navigating trauma, disrupted sleep, anxiety and low confidence, which can make interviews, routines and rejection especially hard to manage. Too often, systems expect independence before young people are ready, and resilience before it has been given time to develop. With flexible, trauma-informed pathways and sustained, hands-on support, care experienced young people can and do succeed. Without it, too many are quietly locked out of opportunity - not through lack of potential, but because the system is not designed around their realities.”
Based on this new research, Action for Children is making several recommendations to support those with care experience into work.
The charity is calling on the UK government to tackle practical barriers faced by care leavers by:
- Paying all care leavers the over-25 rate of Universal Credit.
- Ensuring benefit sanctions are only used as a last resort for care leavers.
- Introducing a national Council Tax exemption for care leavers in England up to age 25, bringing England in line with existing policy in Wales and Scotland.
- Local authorities in England must also ensure their Local Offers for Care Leavers help remove practical barriers to employment by, for example, offering free or subsidised transport and help to obtain driving licences, devices and essential work clothing.
Employers also have a role to play in making work accessible for care-experienced young people. They should take proactive steps to create supportive work environments, including developing tailored recruitment and onboarding policies.
Lucy Schonegevel, Director of Influencing at Action for Children, said:
“Care experienced young people are expected to make the transition into adulthood earlier than most, often without family support to fall back on. Unless we address the practical realities they face, too many will continue to be unfairly shut out of opportunities.
“Our polling shows just how stark these barriers are – from lacking ID to not having access to suitable clothing or transport – putting care experienced young people at a clear disadvantage before they’ve even had a chance to start.
“We welcome the Milburn Review and its commitment to look in-depth at the drivers of youth unemployment, and hope to see care-experienced young people recognised as a particularly disadvantaged cohort, with specific commitments to tackle the many practical barriers they often experience.”
Helen Webb, John Lewis Partnership Chief People Officer, said: "We welcome this research as a critical step in highlighting the specific needs of care-experienced young people. No one's childhood experiences should put them at a disadvantage in their career. It is unacceptable that this community is on the back foot at the very start of their professional lives through no fault of their own.
“Our Building Happier Futures programme is committed to raising awareness, breaking down barriers and inspiring change. As well as working closely with local authorities to help overcome practical challenges like securing mandatory ID, travel to work and appropriate clothing, we have a tailored employability programme designed to lay the foundation for a successful entry into the workplace.
“We call on other employers to follow suit with similar programmes to help bridge the gap between education and work for care-experienced individuals. Furthermore, we hope to see the Milburn Review advocate for bold and collaborative action by both the Government and the private sector, specifically recommending that short employability programmes for marginalised groups, such as care leavers, be funded by the Growth and Skills Levy to incentivise action at scale."
ENDS
MEDIA CONTACT:
Kim Lawton, Media Officer, Action for Children – 07483 647701 / [email protected]
Out of hours: 020 3124 0661 / [email protected]
NOTES TO EDITORS
Around 1 in 8 (12.8%) young people aged 16-24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET) in the UK.1 Care-experienced young people and, in particular, care leavers, are over-represented in that statistic - often facing significant challenges securing and starting work. While official statistics on the number of NEET care-experienced young people in the UK are not available, we know that in England, 40% of care leavers aged 19-21 are NEET2, in Scotland 46% of care leavers aged 16-26 are NEET3, and in Northern Ireland 29% of care leavers aged 19 are NEET4.56 These statistics indicate the scale of disproportionality.
*‘Care-experienced people’ and ‘care leavers’
Someone who is ‘care-experienced’ has spent time in care at some point in their childhood and/or youth. It is not a legal definition.
By contrast, ‘care leaver’ is a legal definition that describes someone who was in care for a period of 13 weeks or more, spanning their 16th birthday. (In Scotland, however, there is no minimum duration required – anyone leaving care at age 16 has care leaver status.)
Being a care leaver makes you eligible for support up to age 25 (26 in Scotland, 21 in Northern Ireland unless in continued education) – such as that provided by a Personal Advisor - on leaving care. In England, Scotland and Wales support is provided by the young person’s local authority, and in Northern Ireland by a Health and Social Care Trust.
While the number of care leavers is tracked annually in each nation, the number of care-experienced people is not.
**Action for Children's Skills+ is a specialised program supporting care-experienced young people aged 14–24 in Wales with independent living, mental health, and social skills. The program provides 1-2-1 support, therapy groups, and practical training to help young people navigate adulthood and thrive after leaving care.
Research Outline .
1,451 care-experienced people under-45, including 196 care leavers, and a control group of 414 under-45s from the general population.
Further information
In 2025, funded by the Building Happier Futures element of the John Lewis Partnership Foundation, Action for Children carried out a poll of care-experienced people on employability issues.
Savanta conducted an online survey of 1,875 individuals aged 16–45 between 11th February 2026 and 25th March 2026 across the UK. Of the total sample, 1,451 participants were care-experienced individuals, which included 196 care leavers, while the remaining 414 participants comprised the control group.
The aim was to test several hypotheses, including on the scope and scale of ‘practical barriers’ to entering employment; the prevalence and impact of mental health conditions on seeking and starting work; and the relative importance of so-called ‘soft skills’ to employability.
To test whether the results were statistically significant we used a Z-test at the 95% confidence level. This means that when a result is statistically significant we can be 95% sure that the results we get are reliable. For example, if we were to do the survey 100 times, we would expect to see a difference 95 times.
About Action for Children
Action for Children protects and supports vulnerable children and young people by providing practical and emotional care and support, ensuring their voices are heard and campaigning to bring lasting improvements to their lives. With 342 services in local communities across the UK, in schools and online, in 2024/2025 we helped 551,400 children, young people, and families. actionforchildren.org.uk
Action for Children’s Employability Services provide dedicated support for care-experienced young people (aged 14-29) in Scotland and Wales to help them transition into work, education, or training. Through tailored mentoring, job coaching, and programs like Skills4Living, Discovering Your Potential and STAY, the services address barriers like anxiety, lack of qualifications, and care background to improve employment chances.
John Lewis Partnership’s Building Happier Futures programme
In 2022, the John Lewis Partnership launched the Building Happier Futures programme. It aims to harness the talents of care-experienced people, fundraise for investment in the care-experienced community, and influence societal change. It includes a tailored employability programme for care-experienced people, which is in place at all of the locations it operates in across the UK.
Action for Children is very grateful to the John Lewis Partnership Foundation for funding this work.
