UK Teenagers in Foster Care at Four Times Greater Risk of Suicide
A shocking new study has revealed that one in four teenagers in foster care have attempted to end their lives, with those without any experience of being in care facing a risk of only 1 in 14. The landmark research, conducted by academics from the University of London and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, analyzed data from over 19,000 people born between 2000 and 2002.
The study found that nearly 26% of 17-year-olds who have lived in foster or residential care had attempted to end their lives, compared to just 7% of those without any care experience. The researchers also discovered that teenagers with foster care experience were more likely to experience multiple negative mental health outcomes, including self-harm and high levels of depression.
The alarming findings have been described as a "national emergency" by the director of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, who calls for increased support for care-experienced young people. The study's lead author notes that the difficulties faced by teenagers with care experience are not inevitable and can be overcome with intensive support.
In addition to higher rates of suicidal ideation, teenagers in foster care were also found to be more likely to have had sex at an early age and to have experienced underage pregnancy. The researchers argue that a family-focused approach is needed to provide ongoing support throughout a young person's life course.
The government has pledged to take action to address the high rate of harm faced by care-experienced young people, with plans to improve access to mental health support earlier in their lives.
A shocking new study has revealed that one in four teenagers in foster care have attempted to end their lives, with those without any experience of being in care facing a risk of only 1 in 14. The landmark research, conducted by academics from the University of London and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, analyzed data from over 19,000 people born between 2000 and 2002.
The study found that nearly 26% of 17-year-olds who have lived in foster or residential care had attempted to end their lives, compared to just 7% of those without any care experience. The researchers also discovered that teenagers with foster care experience were more likely to experience multiple negative mental health outcomes, including self-harm and high levels of depression.
The alarming findings have been described as a "national emergency" by the director of the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory, who calls for increased support for care-experienced young people. The study's lead author notes that the difficulties faced by teenagers with care experience are not inevitable and can be overcome with intensive support.
In addition to higher rates of suicidal ideation, teenagers in foster care were also found to be more likely to have had sex at an early age and to have experienced underage pregnancy. The researchers argue that a family-focused approach is needed to provide ongoing support throughout a young person's life course.
The government has pledged to take action to address the high rate of harm faced by care-experienced young people, with plans to improve access to mental health support earlier in their lives.
WE NEED TO DO MORE TO SUPPORT THESE KIDS AND PROVIDE THEM WITH THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO THRIVE!
i mean, can u believe 1 in 4 teenagers in foster care have tried to end their lives? that's like, a whole lotta pain and suffering 
and yeah, i totally agree with the family-focused approach - sometimes all a kid needs is someone to talk to and feel supported 
gotta hope the gov takes their words serious and makes some real change ASAP 
. I can only imagine how tough it must be for these kids who've already been through so much and then have the added pressure of dealing with suicidal thoughts. It's like, they're not even teenagers yet, they should be enjoying their youth, not worrying about ending their lives.
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. But I wish they would take more action sooner rather than later. These kids are counting on us to make a difference 
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they're already navigating some crazy stuff, going into care or residential care at a young age... can you even imagine? 
are we just going to sit back and let these kids suffer? no way, man... we can't let that happen.
this is just heartbreaking... i mean 1 in 4 teens in foster care trying to kill themselves is just insane... what's going on with our society? we need more support for these kids ASAP 
and i'm not even surprised by the lack of support from the government 
We need to do something about this ASAP, especially since the gov has already said they're going to step in with some new plans for mental health support and stuff. Maybe if we focus on families and supporting them throughout their lives, we can prevent some of these problems from happening in the first place? That would be a total game-changer. 