SCIE/NICE recommendations on looked after children: Promoting the quality of life of looked-after children and young people

Improving education for looked-after children and young people

Education that encourages high aspirations, individual achievement and minimum disruption is central to improving immediate and long-term outcomes for looked-after children and young people. Evidence indicates that looked-after children do not generally do as well at school as their peers, which reduces their opportunity to move to further education, and affects their employment or training opportunities. It is important that education professionals are equipped with the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to help looked-after children and young people get the most out of their time in education and to successfully negotiate their educational careers.

Recommendation 41 Develop teacher training

Who should take action?

• Training and Development Agency for Schools.

• What action should they take? Open

  Ensure all teacher training programmes have a core training module that looks at the needs of looked-after children and young people (see recommendations 50–52) and includes an understanding of:

  • the impact of stable care and education on children and young people and how to help them have a stable education
  • the impact of loss, separation and trauma on child development, attachment and cognitive functioning
  • the value of engaging in activities outside the school curriculum and in the community.

Recommendation 42 Involve designated teachers for looked-after children and young people

Who should take action?

• Local authorities.
• Schools.

• What action should they take? Open

  Ensure designated teachers:

  • are involved in preparing and monitoring the personal education plan (PEP), individual education plan (IEP) and pastoral support plan (PSP) for looked-after children and young people, which set out their education and training needs
  • engage with the child’s or young person’s social worker and carer to avoid school disruption and make every attempt to achieve educational stability.

Recommendation 43 Monitor the quality of education for looked-after children and young people

Who should take action?

• Local authorities.
• Schools.

• What action should they take? Open

  • Ensure that educational provision for looked-after children and young people (including those placed out of area) is appropriate and of high quality, in line with statutory regulations (19).
  • Appoint a virtual school head (20) and ensure he or she:
    • works with headteachers and governors responsible for educating looked-after children and young people (including those placed out of area) to maximise educational potential
    • shares good practice nationally to shape national and local policy
    • maintains a record of all looked-after children and young people educated out of the area and is aware of their educational needs and the adequacy of their educational provision
    • maintains a register of all pupils on part-time timetables and monitors their appropriateness.
  • Ensure that independent schools are included in the above actions.

Recommendation 44 Support access to further and higher education

Whose health and wellbeing will benefit?

• Looked-after young people and care leavers who are continuing their education after school-leaving age.

Who should take action?

• Leaving care teams.
• Social workers and social work managers.

• What action should they take? Open

  • Identify and provide personal support before and during the application process, and continue to support students throughout their time at university or college.
  • Ensure that looked-after young people and care leavers have access to bursaries and other forms of financial and practical support.
  • Publicise the bursary (21) currently available for looked-after young people who go to university and ensure all eligible care leavers receive this legal entitlement.
  • Ensure that good quality accommodation, including return to carers, is guaranteed for the duration of the course, including holidays, for students who have been in care.
  • Continue to support care leavers after they have left higher education. This should include support with housing and other forms of practical and emotional support, such as careers advice and coping with living

Recommendation 45 Support looked-after young people in further and higher education

Whose health and wellbeing will benefit?

• Looked-after young people and care leavers.

Who should take action?

• Universities and colleges.

• What action should they take? Open

  • Ensure admissions procedures are transparent and accessible and that care leavers are given appropriate and easily accessible support and advice on accommodation, services, scholarships and any other support available to care leavers.
  • Endeavour to provide good quality accommodation to students who have been looked after for the duration of the course, regardless of where they live.
  • Work to attain the Frank Buttle Trust quality mark (22), which recognises higher education institutions that provide additional and targeted support to students who have been looked after (23).

19.

Department for Children, Schools and Families (2010) Promoting the educational achievement of looked after children: statutory guidance for local authorities. London: Department for Children, Schools and Families.

20.

Berridge D, Henry L, Jackson S et al. (2009) Looked after and learning: evaluation of the virtual school head pilot. London: Department for Children, Schools and Families.

21.

For details, see Department for Children, Schools and Families (2010) Promoting the educational achievement of looked after children: statutory guidance for local authorities. London: Department for Children, Schools and Families.

22.

See The Frank Buttle Trust Quality Mark for Care Leavers in Higher Education

23.

For additional information, visit the Action on Access website