Terry Collins explains why care leavers and adoption are his top priorities as Durham CC’s new chief executive

As incoming chief executive of Durham CC, I have chosen to create an extensive list of opportunities for care leavers as my first personal project.

Research shows in the UK young people leaving care have significantly lower prospects of success throughout their lives in comparison with young people raised outside the care system. It also highlights that while the average child in a traditional family will leave home at 24, children in care ‘leave home’ at a much earlier age.