Sky News Today with Jayne Secker

An urgent government review has found that young people leaving the care system in England are dying at almost four times the rate of the general population of the same age. Last year, 112 care leavers aged 18 to 24 died, with just over a third believed to have taken their own lives. The review warns that for the most vulnerable, support can fall away sharply at adulthood, leaving young people isolated and without a vital safety net.

The report was illustrated by the story of Joash McCulloch, an autistic care leaver who died shortly after his 18th birthday. His parents described how he was placed in a solo children's home nearly 200 miles from home, then moved again to a supported living placement not suited to his needs. They said he repeatedly expressed suicidal thoughts and had multiple attempts, but the system failed to keep him safe. After turning 18, he came off his medication, spent his child trust fund, and later died on railway tracks. His family are still waiting for an inquest more than 18 months later, and they described the grief as a wound that cuts across everything in their lives.