General · 27 August 2026
Care leavers self-harm to avoid losing £20k-a-week support
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A government review recently showed that 112 care leavers between the ages of 18 and 24 died in 2025. Psychotherapist Abi Booth found that deeply traumatised young people feel pushed into severe risk-taking just to keep their spot in treatment centres. Meanwhile, local authorities often pay private firms upwards of £20,000 a week to manage these highly complex cases.
Reported by The Guardian · How we write briefs