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Children who grow up in care are almost twice as likely to die young

The problem has been getting worse as time goes on, with mental illness causing the majority of deaths

Children who spend time in care are almost twice as likely to die young than those who do not, new research has found.

University College London researchers used government data to track more than 350,000 people between 1971 and 2013.

They found that the problem has been getting worse, not better. For those who had spent time in care, the likelihood of dying prematurely increased as time went on.

This is despite the risk of death decreasing for the rest of the population over the same period.

Over the entire period they found people who spent time in the care system were 70 per cent more likely to die young.

But this increased to more like 100 per cent for those who spent time in care more recently. In 2001 the figure was as high as 360 per cent.

Deaths linked to mental illness

The majority of these deaths were linked to mental illness.

The team at the UCL’s institute of epidemiology and healthcare called their discovery “shocking” and have called for a government response about why premature deaths are increasing for those who spent time in care.

The study suggested austerity measures brought in by the Conservative government in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis could be at least partly to blame.

Austerity could be partly to blame

“There are concerns that reduced council funding due to austerity measures has resulted in reduced quality of care for looked-after children which could affect the mental health of these young people,” it said.

Professor Amanda Sacker, who was part of the UCL team, told The Guardian: “The figures are really quite shocking and indicate that while the majority of us are living longer, healthier lives, this is far from the case for those who spent time as children in care. Rather, the inequalities have increased.”

She added: “Children in care are among the most vulnerable in our society, and our research indicates that we are failing them. We must do more to understand why.”

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