Looked After Childrens Participation

1
Looked After Childrens Participation
Achievement in Education

• Andy Smith
• Service Director
• Leicester City Council

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Structure of the Presentation

• Setting the context
• Key points from Care Matters Time to Deliver
• Educational outcomes and innovations in Leicester
• Case studies
• Implications for policy and research

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Context

• My role in the organisation
• About Leicester city
• Diverse population
• Numbers of looked after children
• Placement provision for looked after children

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Parent.somebodys mother, father, or legal
guardian

• A good parent
• Feels for their child
• Is warm, loving and cares for their child
• Places their childs interests before their own
• Wants their child to reach their full potential
• Gives and plans for the future
• Sets and maintains consistent boundaries

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National Picture The starting point for change

• Children in care are diverse and have complex
  needs
• 60,000 in care at any one point
• Two thirds in foster care one eighth in
  residential care one in ten placed with parents
• Two thirds in care due to abuse or neglect
• Number of key Government initiatives since 1997
  designed to improve outcomes
• Such as Quality Protects, National Minimum
  Standards, new Adoption Act, new Leaving Care
  legislation, Every Child Matters
• Evidence shows that inequalities between children
  in care and all children still wide
• Only 1 in 10 children in care attained 5 good
  GCSEs in 2005
• Only 6 of 19 year olds go into higher education

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Why do children in care achieve poor outcomes?

• Care Matters highlights a number of key issues
• We dont intervene early enough with families
• Children in care lack a consistent adult
• Children move between placements too frequently
  and placement quality is not high enough
• Children in care are in the lowest performing
  schools and lack sufficient support in school
• Key services dont do enough to help children in
  care get their lives back on track
• Children leave care too young and poorly equipped

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Care Matters Implementation Plan

• High aspirations in relation to education
• Narrowing the gap in educational achievement
  between LAC their peers
• Placement not to disrupt education or training
• Financial support to care leavers in HE
• Extending entitlement for care leavers to PA
• Statutory guidance on the role of the CORAL
• Personal Education Allowances

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Educational Outcomes in Leicester then now
2001 1 A - G 40.7 5 A - G 22.2 5 A -
C 0 Poor data tracking systems Permanent
Exclusions Difficulties re-engaging disaffected
pupils Lack of support for LAC in school Few
Personal Education Plans
2007 1 A - G 94.4 5 A - G 47.2 5 A - C
11.1 Sophisticated tracking systems No
permanent exclusions Short Course
Centre Designated Teachers linked RALAC
workers Personal Education Plans
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How did we get there?

• There is no magic solution!
• Whole authority approach to Corporate Parenting
• Council and senior officer commitment
• Committed Lead Member for Childrens Services
• Services that invest in permanence and placement
  stability
• Essentially, having the same high aspirations for
  our looked after children as we do for our own

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Educational Innovations

• The Raising Achievement for Looked After Children
  team (RALAC)
• The Letterbox Club project
• Target 25
• The Short Course project
• Homework club
• Way Ahead project

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Philips Story

• 19 year old care leaver
• Majority of childhood spent in care, with
  difficulties in adolescence
• History of school exclusion and disaffection
• Attended Short Course Centre and gained a GCSE
• Inspired by success attended Way Ahead events
• Entry to Leicester College and is studying media
  course.

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Kians Story

• Entered care at age 5 and placed in a kinship
  placement (grandparents)
• Significant disruption and trauma impacted on
  behaviour at school
• PEP process supported by RALAC and a range of
  agencies resulting in Kian remaining in school
• Kian has just completed a full year in school

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Implications for Policy Research

• There are no quick fixes!
• Intervention at Key Stage 2 crucial
• Importance of partnership working
• Creative and targeted use of funding and
  Government grants
• Commitment and enthusiasm from the top down

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• Thank you!