In a revelation that will shock absolutely no one who's ever paid attention to the care system, research has found that some of the most vulnerable children and young people in care are deliberately self-harming to avoid being abandoned when they get better or turn 18 - a 'cliff edge' where support suddenly vanishes, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Abi Booth, a psychotherapist who works with these children, describes a 'catastrophic situation' where young people are hurting themselves to keep their place in therapeutic facilities. They believe the only way to stay safe is to not 'get better' from their mental health conditions, and instead become more ill by severely self-harming or attempting suicide. Because nothing says 'safety' like a suicide attempt, apparently.
A government review into the deaths of 112 care leavers in England aged 18-24 in 2025 found a dramatic drop in support at age 18. The Guardian also revealed in April an almost fivefold increase in children in unregulated social care settings in England. So, the system is working exactly as intended - if the intention is to fail everyone spectacularly.
Booth, who has spoken to hundreds of young people, says every single one told her the system is pushing them into patterns of risk. 'Many have experienced extreme neglect and often physical and sexual abuse. Some are so badly scarred from self-harming there isn't an inch of their bodies left untouched. They see self-harming as a route to safety. They are living in a state of terror, which may be hidden underneath layers of bravado.'
It's a paradox that would be darkly comic if it weren't so tragic: while these children are undesirable to financially overstretched local authorities, they are a valuable commodity to private care companies. By being high-risk, they maintain their place in the care system. Councils often outsource these complex cases to private companies that can charge £20,000 or more per week per young person. That's right - these kids are literally worth more broken than whole.
Booth, who conducted in-depth research into 12 children, says that in inpatient psychiatric units, these young people are 'learning the tricks of the trade' in terms of more severe and sophisticated methods of self-harming and suicide attempts. 'These young people are a currency. They are more profitable the riskier they are.' She's calling for change to stop treating them as 'commodities' for profit-driven private care companies, and to 'shine a light on the reality of life for these young people in the hope of inspiring some change.'
A report from parliament's joint committee on human rights, published on Thursday, found the accommodation model in children's social care is broken. Lack of capacity has resulted in children being placed in expensive and wholly inadequate accommodation, often far from support networks. The committee calls on the government to end the use of unregulated spaces as a matter of urgency, and suggests increasing local authority supply through adequate funding, tougher inspections, and tackling delays in registration for homes.
Committee chair David Alton says, 'We have a moral duty as a society to uphold the human rights of children and young people. The children's social care system is there to be a crucial safety net to support the most vulnerable in society. The evidence we have heard is that too often it is failing to prevent people falling through the gaps. The challenges do not stop when childhood ends - from the 'cliff edge' of support ending at 18, to the increased likelihood of entering the criminal justice system, to facing discrimination once they leave care.'
Meanwhile, the Department for Education says the government is investing £25 million to help thousands more care leavers access homes with support attached, and steps are being taken to crack down on illegal and unregistered children's homes. Because, clearly, a bit of cash and some inspections will fix a system that's been broken for decades.
If you or someone you know is struggling, reach out to Papyrus at 0800 068 4141 or pat@papyrus-uk.org (UK), Samaritans at 116 123 (UK and Ireland), the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (US), or Lifeline at 13 11 14 (Australia). Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org.