The Care Cliff

This month we were delighted to be able to officially launch our partnership with BetterHelp that will enable 100 care-experience young people (18-30) to be able to access free, weekly, online therapy for a period of 6 months.

Our pursuit of this partnership began in 2023 following a Care Leaver Summit, held in Cambridge and organised by the charity Break. At this summit care leavers cited poor mental health as the key barrier to grasping opportunities in training and employment and referred to the long waits to access adult services and provision often being limited to six sessions, with a “three strikes and you’re out” approach to missed sessions. This further reinforced the findings of the 2016 government’s Education Select Committee which recommended care leavers should have access to the more responsive Child and Adult Mental Health Services (CAMHS) up to age 25.

Care-leavers have, by definition, faced at least one (although likely more) adverse childhood experience (including trauma, physical, sexual, emotional abuse and/or neglect), have been separated from family and are often unsuitably housed. Furthermore, the transition from care (at 18) is a known ‘cliff edge’ when they have to make a ‘rapid transition to adulthood’ and are expected to become independent, self-sufficient adults much earlier than their non-care experienced peers. Consequently, the outcomes for care leavers are shocking, and arguably, the public health crisis of our day. Of the 110,000 young people who leave care annually aged 16-18 1 in 3 are homeless within two years (and care leavers continue to make up around 25% of the homeless population), they are three times more likely to be Not in Education Employment or Training (NEET), only 13% go onto university by 19 (compared to 45% of their peers) and they are 10 times more likely to receive a custodial sentence. When it comes to mental health:

• One in four care leavers experience a mental health crisis after leaving care,
• Care leavers are five times more likely to attempt suicide
• 68% of care leavers experience mental health difficulties whilst at university compared to 37% for non care-experienced students
• Overall care leavers are around seven times more likely to die aged 18-21 than their peers.

In this context we are extremely grateful to BetterHelp and delighted to be able to offer free mental health support to care leavers in the region.

Nevertheless, we know that this is only part of the solution and our therapeutic approach is built on a holistic answer to the care cliff. Most notably, in Cambridgeshire 28% of care leavers are living in unsuitable accommodation and hence our focus on providing nurturing home environments through supported lodgings and semi-independent accommodation. We also know that 1 in 5 care leavers report feeling lonely always or most of the time and recognise the pernicious results of relational poverty hence our intensely relational approach including the provision of mentors and peer support networks. We’re also aware that 83% of those after Care experiencing low self-esteem emphasising the important of a strengths-based approach that helps young people to recognise and develop their strengths and aspirations. It is in this context that the opportunity to access therapy can help care leavers on a journey to recover, heal and flourish.

If you or someone you know aged is care experienced, aged 18-30 years and could benefit from free online therapy, please contact juliet.allan@concreterose.co.uk/ or visit www.concreterose.co.uk/therapy.

Personal take-away: A test in positive psychology

Therapeutic interventions are many and varied and through our BetterHelp partnership young people are able to find a match based on their previous experiences and areas of challenge. However, more recently there has been a growing emphasis on positive psychology an approach that looks to proactively build the core elements of wellbeing rather than simply eliminate negative thoughts and feelings. This has been pioneered by Martin Seligman (amongst others) and more information and practical application can be found here: https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu/ . One aspect of this approach is building positive character traits with a particular emphasis on gratitude. With this in mind, we wanted to share one particular intervention, known as the ‘three blessings’ exercise and challenge you to see if it makes a difference in your own life:

For one month (or until you receive the next newsletter) at the end of each day set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep and write down three things that went well in the day why they went well. For example: I had a good meeting today because people understood and took on board my opinions. You could put it in a journal or on your phone but it’s important to have a physical record. They don’t have to be big things and could even seem trivial (a meal you enjoyed etc) and it may at times seem a bit awkward but do persevere.

After a month, let’s compare notes; we’d certainly be keen to hear you’re feedback and see if this helps build a sense of gratitude in your own life.