On 25 August 2026, the Department for Education paired publication of an independent review into early care leaver deaths with the start of a £25 million national housing rollout in England. The department said the funding would back a strengthened Staying Close programme so that more young people leave care into accommodation built around support and connection, rather than an isolated move into adulthood. (gov.uk) The immediate policy change is a shift in emphasis from a narrow move-on offer to connected housing options. In the Department for Education’s account, the rollout is intended to expand models similar to Shared Lives Plus, The House Project and Supported Lodgings across the country, with the housing element used as a route to stable relationships rather than as a stand-alone placement. (gov.uk)
The review, led by Ashley John-Baptiste and Clare Chamberlain, examines six deaths of care leavers aged 18 to 24. Its central finding is that profound isolation sits behind too many poor outcomes, with young people often receiving a tenancy or a room without anyone close enough to spot risk early or step in when circumstances begin to deteriorate. (gov.uk) The report identifies three areas for change: preparation for adulthood, the sharp reduction in support at 18, and the skills of the workforce around care leavers. The Department for Education said 112 deaths of care leavers aged 18 to 24 were notified in 2025, equivalent to about 130 per 100,000 and around three to four times the rate for others of the same age. (gov.uk)
The wider policy case had already been set out in the Department for Education’s July 2026 paper on enduring relationships. That paper reported that 22% of care leavers aged 16 to 24 felt lonely always or often, compared with 10% in the general population, while 14% said they did not have someone they trusted or who would be there for them. (gov.uk) Seen in that context, the £25 million announcement is not simply a housing measure. It forms part of a broader attempt to replace the model of early, abrupt independence with one based on continuing networks, trusted adults and practical help after 18; updated local offer guidance also states that Staying Close is due to become a national duty in 2028 to 2029, with national rollout ahead of that point. (gov.uk)
The next statutory deadline is close. Updated Department for Education guidance, published on 13 August 2026, says new local offer duties introduced by the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 take effect on 30 September 2026, and every local authority in England must review and update its local offer by that date. (gov.uk) Those local offers must now say more than what a leaving care team can provide on its own. The guidance requires councils to publish how they will plan accommodation, work with housing authorities, prevent homelessness, support young people leaving custody, provide financial literacy support, and explain how an eligible care leaver can re-engage with personal adviser support up to the age of 25. (gov.uk)
The Act also changes the housing safety net. Explanatory notes to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 state that the legislation amends section 191 of the Housing Act 1996 so that in-scope care leavers cannot be treated as intentionally homeless; where the other legal tests are met, local housing authorities will still owe the settled accommodation duty under section 193. (legislation.gov.uk) Alongside that, the Act creates new corporate parenting responsibilities for Secretaries of State and specified public bodies, requiring them to consider how policy and service design affect looked-after children and care leavers, to help them access services, and to seek opportunities that support them to thrive. In the Department for Education’s summary of the measure, bodies including the NHS, jobcentres, prisons and probation will be expected to weigh care leavers’ needs, with further operational guidance for departments and public bodies scheduled for spring 2027. (legislation.gov.uk)
For councils, providers and partner agencies, the test will be whether the rollout changes practice rather than language. The official guidance points towards joint work between children’s services, housing, health partners, Jobcentre Plus and, where relevant, prison and probation services, as well as better planning for tenancy sustainment, release from custody and ongoing relationships after a young person turns 18. (gov.uk) For care leavers, the practical effect could be significant if delivery matches the policy design: a lower risk of being placed in isolated accommodation, a clearer route back into adviser support up to 25, and stronger homelessness protection from 30 September 2026. The review and the rollout together set a clear standard for England’s care leaving system: independence is not to be treated as separation from support. (gov.uk)