Research reports

Housing and homelessness

Making homeless young people count: The scale of youth homelessness in the UK (Databank 2017-18)

Centrepoint · 2018

Centrepoint's 2017/18 Youth Homelessness Databank report estimates that approximately 103,000 young people aged 16–24 approached their local council for help because they were homeless or at risk in the UK. The analysis finds that over half of those who sought help left without any documented prevention, relief or statutory support. The biggest driver of youth homelessness was parents or others asking young people to leave, and rural youth homelessness was found to be a growing concern even as urban figures slightly declined.

Secondary analysisOtherUK-wide

Employment, skills and economic security

Hidden in Plain Sight: Young Londoners Unemployed Yet Unsupported

London Youth · 2018

This report investigates young Londoners aged 18–25 who are out of work, not in education or training, and not claiming benefits — a group termed 'hidden' within NEET statistics. Drawing on programme data, workshops, interviews, and economic analysis, the research finds that hidden young people are a highly diverse group whose situations are shaped by poor careers advice, complex family circumstances, stigma around benefits, precarious work, and mental health challenges. The report estimates there are around 480,000 hidden young people in the UK annually, and that supporting them into sustained employment could return up to £460 million per year to the Exchequer. Six recommendations are made covering data transparency, access to statutory support, specialist funding, careers guidance, family involvement, and holistic employability provision.

SurveyInterviewLondon

Care experience and family

The Next Chapter: Young People and Parenthood

Action for Children (with University of Bath IPR) · 2017

This report by Action for Children examines the experiences of young parents aged 25 and under in England, drawing on secondary analysis of the Next Steps longitudinal dataset and focus groups. It finds that young parents face significantly worse outcomes than their peers across education, employment, and mental health — for example, only 11% have attended university compared to 45% of non-parents, and nearly 40% report struggling financially. The report makes 17 recommendations covering childcare funding, welfare support, mental health services, and access to dedicated support groups, arguing that policy attention must extend beyond teenage parents to those aged 20–25.

Secondary analysisFocus groupEngland

Care experience and family

Growing Up in Kinship Care: Experiences as Adolescents and Outcomes in Young Adulthood

Grandparents Plus · 2017

This report examines the experiences and outcomes of 53 young people aged 16–26 who grew up in kinship care (with extended family or friends) in England. It explores their relationships with carers, parents and siblings, their emotional and physical health, educational attainment, employment, and transitions to independence. Key findings include that most kinship placements were stable and long-lasting, that young people faced significant adversity prior to entering kinship care, and that outcomes were broadly better than for care leavers but that support from Children's Services was inconsistent and often inadequate — particularly for those without looked-after status.

InterviewMixed methodsEngland

Care experience and family

What matters to young mums?

Young Women's Trust · 2017

This report by Young Women's Trust explores the experiences of mothers aged under 25 in England, focusing on finances, childcare, employment, stigma and isolation. Key findings include that 61% of young mothers were only just managing financially, 46% regularly missed meals, and over half felt lonelier since becoming a mother. Young mothers also reported widespread discrimination from employers and dismissive treatment from health professionals, while formal childcare costs were identified as a major barrier to work. The report makes recommendations on childcare policy, employment support, benefit levels and employer practices.

Focus groupSurveyEngland

Results

Making homeless young people count: The scale of youth homelessness in the UK (Databank 2017-18)

Hidden in Plain Sight: Young Londoners Unemployed Yet Unsupported

The Next Chapter: Young People and Parenthood

Growing Up in Kinship Care: Experiences as Adolescents and Outcomes in Young Adulthood

What matters to young mums?