Children leaving care are being failed by the very people who should be helping them.

Large numbers of young people leaving care are having their benefits stopped, pushing many into debt and destitution, new research has revealed.

The Children’s Society’s report, The Cost of Being Care-Free, found that 4,000 benefit sanctions have been applied to young people who left care in the last two years, making them at least three times more likely to have their benefits stopped than the general population.