Content warning: the following article and the report it links to covers sensitive and potentially distressing topics, including death, suicide, self-harm and the experiences of care-experienced young people who have come to harm. Please take care of your wellbeing and step away if needed. 

The Department for Education (DfE) has published an independent report highlighting shocking findings about mortality rates among care-experienced young people.

The report raised concerns about isolation, mental health challenges and a loss of support as young people transition into adulthood. 

Ashley John-Baptiste, who has spoken at several events organised by TACT Fostering, provided a Foreward for the report. He said: “It is a national tragedy that so many care-experienced young people are dying so early in life and that, resultantly, a report like this is required.

“I have substantial lived experience of the care system. Yet despite this, nothing could have prepared me for the heartbreaking stories we have encountered. These young lives ended far too soon.”

Key findings from the report highlight that in 2025 the DfE received 112 notifications of deaths of care leavers in England, age 18 to 24 – three to four times higher than within the general population. Of those, 42% were female and 58% were male. More death notifications were recorded for care leavers aged 18, compared to all other ages in the 18 to 24-year-old range, with one fifth occurring at age 18.

These concerns have aligned with many aspects TACT has long campaigned for, such as smoother transitions into adulthood and greater investment in the relationships that matter most to children and young people. This is why TACT established their Connect community, providing their care-experienced young people with support into adulthood and beyond.

The challenges many care-experienced people face do not simply disappear when they reach a certain age. Strong relationships, a sense of belonging and access to support remain important throughout adult life, and TACT believe that care-experience should never mean facing adulthood alone.  

As reforms in children’s social care continue to develop, lifelong support must remain a priority. Connect is one example of how this can be achieved in practice: creating lasting relationships, strengthening communities and ensuring support is available whenever its needed.