Currently, young people can stay with their foster carers until their 18th birthdays. This means that some of society's most vulnerable young people are effectively being kicked out of home at 17, despite the fact that the average age for leaving home is 24.

Young people who have been in care are over represented in prisons and are more likely to be unemployed, mental health service users, single parents or homeless than those who grew up within their own families.

Research shows that the longer a young person can stay with their foster family, the better the outcomes – being able to stay until 21 will give them a better chance of succeeding when they do live independently.

It is vital that every local MP across the country acts now to ensure the Government makes this investment in vulnerable young people – the social costs of not doing so are too high.

Robert Tapsfield
Chief Executive
The Fostering Network
Londo