Help stop care leavers from falling into homelessness, Labour told: 'People are suffering'

A new cross-party group of MPs and people who are care experienced have called on Keir Starmer and his Labour government to introduce special measures to help stop care leavers from falling into homelessness.

A group of care experienced people delivered a petition to 10 Downing Street on Wednesday (11 December) calling for immediate action to end local connection requirements for care leavers. Addressed to housing minister Matthew Pennycook, the petition called for the immediate introduction of a statutory instrument to abolish local connection rules for care leavers, which campaigners say are leaving vulnerable young people at risk of homelessness.

Written by care experienced people, the petition explains: “This change would ensure that when we are placed out of area, we can access the same housing options as other care leavers who originate from that area.”

The call for urgent reform comes after the prime minister’s speech at Labour’s annual party conference, where he announced that veterans, domestic abuse victims and care leavers would be exempt from local connection requirements – a key barrier to accessing housing support. While changes for armed forces veterans were implemented in November, progress for care leavers has been slower, with Matthew Pennycook indicating further consultation was needed.

The petition continues: “We are struggling to understand why the statutory instrument has not yet been laid for care leavers to be exempt. The prime minister’s commitment has been made clear. Meanwhile, we, as care experienced people, are suffering due to the absence of this policy change. We urge you to sign the attached draft SI or, at the very least, provide a realistic timetable for when this critical change will be signed into law.”

Chris Law MP, chair of the new cross-party group for care experienced people, explained the stakes: “The most appalling statistics we have for care leavers speak for themselves: One in four are homeless, 50% of prisoners in Scotland have been in care and most shockingly, you are 20 times more likely to be dead by the time you’re 25 if you come from a care experienced background. That has got to be a statistic that knocks everybody off their feet.”

The petition hand-in coincided with growing momentum in the campaign to treat care experience as a protected characteristic. On the same day, a new cross-party group convened in Westminster for the first time to unite MPs, care experienced individuals and local authorities that have passed motions supporting the initiative.

The group, chaired by Law, with MPs Darren Paffey as vice-chair and Jessica Morden as officer, aims to strengthen the case for national legislation. Its mission is to bring together evidence, amplify the voices of care experienced individuals, and showcase successful local initiatives, such as those in Cumberland Council, which was the first to adopt the motion.

“This is a momentous moment for care experienced people, a true movement from the grassroots upwards,” said campaigner Terry Galloway. “This campaign is about the voice of care experienced people in the heart of Westminster. It’s about ensuring we are heard and when decisions are made, and services designed, that the impact on those most vulnerable is taken into consideration and mitigated against.”

The group has set a target of recruiting 500 members, including care experienced individuals, local authorities, third-sector organisations and professionals advocating for reform.

“Care experienced people who are invited to become members will be able to help set the agenda of what is important,” Galloway explained. “They can also vote, and MPs and peers will be able to see and hear what we are going through.”

For 26-year-old care experienced student Kerrie Portman, the campaign is deeply personal.

“I think care experienced people are amongst the most vulnerable in society, and it’s not really our choice when we’re taken into care. That’s the state’s and the government’s decision,” she told Big Issue.

“So I think it’s especially awful and sinister for them to make that decision and then just abandon their care experienced people, often in a worse position than when they found them. I think there needs to be a lot more accountability.”

Portman, who is currently living in temporary accommodation, praised the work of some local councils in making care experience a protected characteristic but stressed the need for national action.

“I think it’s amazing to see local councils taking a grassroots level and passing the motion themselves,” she explained. “That is brilliant. But one of the difficulties, and why it should be passed at a national level, is that it can reduce the postcode lottery faced by care experienced people.”

Law is also care experienced, and says his background has shaped his approach to politics.

“Being care experienced makes me a better MP, 100%,” he told Big Issue. “We’ve got an incredible level of empathy. And if you’re able to relate to other people’s stories of hardship or difficulty… it makes you much more empathetic. And you see things from the ground up, because it comes from personal experience and being with others with similar experiences. It gives you the greatest privilege to be able to do something about it from the position you are in.”

Motivated by his own experience, Law is clear about his priorities: “If there’s one thing I want to do in this term of parliament, it’s to help the UK government deliver on care experience as a protected characteristic, which is why I got involved and said, ‘Look, I’d like to chair this group.’

“We want to see care experience finally recognised as a protected characteristic, primarily so that no one falls through the cracks wherever they live in these islands.”

The campaign now looks ahead to its next steps, including ensuring the prime minister’s promises are upheld and that care leavers across the UK are no longer left behind.

Proponents believe that recognising care experience as a protected characteristic will not only improve outcomes for care leavers but also address systemic inequalities, creating a fairer society for all.

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