Outcomes for looked after children and young people

Today in the England there are around 60,000 children and young people in public care, more than one in 200 of the child population. Over the last 12 months about 100,000 children and young people spent some time in public care, almost one in 100 of the child population and the best estimates are that around 3.4% of adults spent some time in public care during their childhood; this is a relatively common experience.So what are the health and other issues for these children and young people during public care and on into adulthood? This paper uses the Every Child Matters outcomes; being healthy, staying safe, enjoying and achieving, making a positive contribution and achieving economic well-being to organize the evidence from the UK and abroad to answer this question.