For almost a decade the Bright Spots programme has worked with children and young people to explore what they feel makes their lives good. The 10,000 voices report highlights what children in care felt about their well-being.
The report summarises what we have learned from the 9,472 responses we received over 5 years from children in care aged 4 to 18.
Key Findings
- More than 9 out of 10 children in care had an adult that they could trust, but the proportion who felt that there was a trusted adult in their lives decreased for older teenagers and those living in residential care or ‘somewhere else’.
- The majority of children trusted their carers, but the proportion who trusted their carers decreased for the older age groups and those in residential care or living somewhere else.
- 1 in 5 young people reported ‘never’ speaking to their carers about the things that mattered to them.
- More than 9 in 10 young people had a good friend, but the percentage without a friend (7%) was greater than for young people (2.5%) in the general population.
- 1 in 6 young people in care felt that they could not do similar things as their friends and these young people more often reported that they did not have a good friend.
- Young people who felt they were given chances to be trusted more frequently reported that they could do similar things to their friends.
- Young people who did not have access to the internet where they lived more frequently reported being unable to do the same things as their friends.
- Most children in care wanted to see their parents and siblings more frequently, but a minority wanted to see them less often.
- Far fewer children and young people in residential care had a pet compared with those in foster or kinship care. Placement type was associated
with having a pet.