About this study

Staying Close is a programme of enhanced support for young people leaving residential care and other forms of placement as they transition to independence. Developed by the Department for Education, it provides care leavers with bespoke packages of practical and emotional support from a member of staff from their former children's home or from a care professional they already know and trust.

The support can include help securing suitable next-step accommodation, developing confidence and independent living skills, and moving into education and employment. The programme particularly aims to support care leavers' mental wellbeing, their sense of agency, and their feelings of social connection and trust in their support networks.

Staying Close started in 2017 and has been extended over two further phases. This evaluation was conducted during ongoing government interest in expanding the Staying Close model nationally.

The Centre for Homelessness Impact and Verian conducted an impact evaluation of the programme.

Findings In Brief

• The pilot impact evaluation was not able to reach strong causal conclusions from its quantitative impact analysis about whether the programme led to better outcomes, owing to limitations in available data
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• Qualitative research carried out as part of the study in six areas the implemented Staying Close found the perceived impact to be largely positive. Its greatest perceived impacts, based on interviews conducted, were in improving young people’s wellbeing and sense of social connectedness. This was largely driven by the personal advisers within the programme holding smaller caseloads, typically of up to several young people compared with a standard caseload of more than 20
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• Insights from this qualitative research have been drawn on to make recommendations to maximise the prospects of success from the national roll-out of Staying Close and for the design of a future more comprehensive evaluation

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Recommendations in Brief

• The Department for Education should co-create 'best practice' guides using insights from this report  which outlines key principles, effective strategies, and core components proven  to support positive outcomes for LAs to use when planning and implementing  the programme. Furthermore, clearer communication about how Staying Close  differs from usual practice, particularly the personalised and intensive support  from Personal Advisors, will help manage expectations and highlight the  programme’s unique offer, all while allowing room for local adaptation. 
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• Local authorities should prioritise early planning when delivering Staying Close. Ensuring  feasibility and clarity around accommodation availability and recruitment  timelines for key personnel will help streamline implementation once funding is  secured. 
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• Local authorities should increase understanding of the Staying Close programme and model using clear guidance co-developed with DfE for  programme staff, partners, providers and young people. 
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• Collaboration and shared learning should be promoted to support the roll out. This could be achieved  through hosting regular roundtable events and/or pairing local authorities  preparing to implement Staying Close with neighbouring authorities that are  further along in delivery to share lessons learned and enable tailored, real-time  guidance to help foster more confident and consistent delivery across regions.
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• DfE should commission an evaluation to understand whether Staying Close is achieving its intended impact at scale. This should be designed over at least three years with interim findings to allow robust outcome assessment and ongoing learning.