Ealing Council

1
Looked After Children Making a Success of
Transition Post 16 Education Marcella
Phelan(Asst Director Children
Families) Ealing Council
2
Care Matters - Context

• Childhood and adolescence often characterised by
  insecurity, ill health and lack of fulfilment
• 60,000 children in care nationally
• Only 11 of LAC obtain 5 good GCSEs compared
  with 56 nationally
• Under represented in further and higher education
• Over represented amongst NEETs, young parents,
  homelessness, substance misuse, prison
  population.

3
Care leavers - Context

• You are given a flat, given your money and left
  to get on with it
• Only 59 Care leavers in ETE compared with 87
  nationally
• Highlights the critical role that Colleges play
  post-16 with the most vulnerable young people at
  the most critical transition in their lives

4
Issues Care Leavers face

• Need to recognise potentially huge additional
  barriers that LAC/Care leavers face, whilst
  concentrating on education
• Housing issues Tenancy, HB, Rent, Neighbours
  etc
• Financial issues Fares to College, Debt,
  Mobiles etc
• Running a Home Cooking, Cleaning, Shopping
• Over representation of BME young people,
  immigration
• Emotional pressures isolation, loneliness, peer
  pressure, relationships, family history issues
  etc
• All this is addition to the general adolescent
  pressures and coursework!.. 17/24

5
The protocol with EHWL

• Most of our post-16 care leavers attend the EHWL
  College
• Protocol agreed last summer to clarify roles,
  responsibilities and accountabilities in relation
  to supporting young people at College
• Early days, but anecdotal evidence indicates that
  clarifying the role of staff and mentors in the
  LA and the College is very useful
• Reduces the likelihood of young people getting
  lost in big institutions and dropping out or
  confusion/gaps amongst staff
• A practical way of positively removing some of
  the barriers that young people face, but within a
  framework of confidentiality.

6
What else we do in Ealing re Support

• One Stop Shop for LAC/Care leavers the Horizons
  Centre
• Dedicated Team of 6 LAC teachers, including a
  post-16 specialist, plus Youth Workers, Outreach
  ETE/Accom., Health
• Joint work with Aim Higher over 4 years
• Protocol with HWL College/ TVU
• Support for young people in FE and HE 16 at
  Uni compared with 6 nationally
• Financial support - 5,500 pa plus laptop
• Corporate Parent Committee chaired by Council
  Leader

7
Issues to consider today

• What are young people telling us, based on
  experience?
• How can all the key agencies work together
  effectively and with young people to deliver
  better outcomes at this critical transition?
• How can the success of initiatives such as The
  Protocol help deliver better outcomes?
• What further changes do we need to identify in
  local and national policy and put forward?
• What will each of us take away and do next?

8
Finally, Thank you

• The College
• Aim Higher
• Staff working on the Project in Partnership
• Everyone attending today
• Ealing My Education (ME) Mentoring Project and
  most of all, the young people who have organised
  todays Conference