Barriers to employment for care-experienced young people

While there is a growing body of evidence on the drivers of high NEET rates for care-experienced people, and on the poor outcomes associated with them, less is known about the views and perspectives of care-experienced people themselves on this crucial moment in their lives.

As part of our work on the Government-commissioned 'Young People and Work' report , we polled care-experienced people about their experiences of seeking work in early adulthood. 

Our findings support existing evidence that many young people - irrespective of background or circumstance - struggle with their entry to the labour market in early adulthood, when they try to find and start their first job. There is a certain universality of experience across a range of activities and issues - such as writing your first CV, preparing for your first job interview, handling yourself in your first work environment, and problem-solving when challenges arise. 

However, care-experienced people - in particular care leavers - are at a significant disadvantage compared to the general population when securing and starting employment, on a range of measures.

• Practical barriers: Care-experienced people face a range of practical barriers to labour market entry - with many struggling to access 'job search essentials' such as public transport, devices, work-appropriate clothing, and ID to prove work eligibility.
• Poor mental health: Poor mental health negatively affects the job search, and start of employment, for many care leavers - to a significant extent.
• Soft-skills: Care-experienced people need support to gain necessary 'soft-skills' for work, such as adaptability, problem-solving, communication, and time-management. 

We think action is needed across national and local government, employers, and employment support providers, to boost support for care-experienced people seeking to enter work.