Izy Winter was put into care at 13. Now 25, she says she was let down at every stage.
“While I was in care I was cold, hungry and neglected,” she says.
As a care leaver she experienced failures that left her feeling “invisible and unprotected”.
Izy was living with an abusive partner, but welfare checks that should have picked up on this were not carried out correctly, she says.
“The person who was meant to check asked to meet me in the car park and got me to sign a piece of paper to say he’d been inside my home when he hadn’t,” she said.
Izy has ADHD and dyslexia and struggles with paperwork. Her support worker did not check that she was receiving all the financial support she was entitled to. By the time she was made aware, it was too late and she could not reclaim the money she had missed out on.
“I was really struggling financially and was so frustrated that even when I asked for help, I wasn’t given it.”
She says she is saddened, but not surprised, to read the new report.
“The recent findings reflect a reality that too many of us have lived through”.
If you’ve been affected by the issues in this story, you can find information, advice and support from the ‘s Action Line. Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for free on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org in the UK.