No Easy Path: The realities of LGBTQ+ young people estranged from their families

An estranged young person is an individual under the age of 25 who has permanently or indefinitely lost contact with their parents or primary caregivers, most often following prolonged experiences of abuse, neglect, family conflict, or coercive control. Estranged young people live independently without meaningful financial, emotional or social support from their family network. This absence of support leaves them particularly vulnerable to homelessness, exploitation, and trauma, yet – unlike young people who have been formally taken into care – they often fall outside the scope of statutory or institutional support systems.

In response to this gap, with funding from the George Michael Fund via the Talent Fund, we undertook this research to explore the role that sexuality and gender identity play in experiences of estrangement, as evidence suggests that LGBTQ+ young people are at heightened risk of becoming estranged from their families.

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Support estranged young people by signing our letter to the Prime Minister

We are calling for the government to adopt a statutory definition of estrangement, give estranged young people the same statutory support entitlements as care leavers and create a unified verification process for estrangement to stop retraumatising estranged young people.

Sign the letter here

Download the visual summary

Watch our animation showing the postcode reality of support for estranged young people