Finding a positive educational identity Research with young people in the care system about what hel

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Finding a positive educational identity
Research with young people in the care system
about what helps and hinders enjoyment and
achievement
David Hodgson, Principal Lecturer School of
Social Work Kingston University St Georges
University of London d.hodgson_at_sgul.kingston.ac.uk

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A small scale study of educational experiences
among young people looked after in one local
authority 2007-8
Content Policy background Concerns about
educational achievement among young people in
care Issues and gaps highlighted previously
Project aims, objectives and methods Findings
Acknowledgements
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Policy Background 1970s - concerns about
education for young people in public care 1980s
1990s - NAYPIC, Who Cares? Trust 1999 -
Governments Objectives for Childrens Social
Services (DoH) 2000 - Guidance on the Education
of Young People in Public Care (DfEE) Children
(Leaving Care) Act 2000 pathway plans up to 21
advice / assistance 2003/4

Children Act 2004
statutory duty to promote education of
looked after children
Guidance (DfES) Care Matters Transforming the
Lives of Children and Young People in Care, 2006
Care Matters Time for Change, 2007 Children and
Young Persons Act 2008
Being healthybeing safeenjoying and
achievingmaking a positive contributioneconomic
well-being
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Concerns about educational achievement of young
people in care http//www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultation
s/downloadableDocs/6731-DfES-Care20Matters.pdf
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Issues and gaps highlighted by literature review
Objective/subjective approaches to educational
outcomes Interaction between care and
educational experience Contribution of key
actors including young people Enjoying and
achieving Experiences of young people with
specific learning needs C4EO scoping study 2009
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Interaction between care and educational
experience
The social risk factors associated with family
breakdown and entry into care are themselves
closely linked to educational failure. It is
disingenuous therefore to attribute the poor
academic results of looked-after children mainly
to inadequacies in social work (and not schools,
interestingly), which has often
occurred. Berridge, 2007, p4 C4EO identified a
gap in literature on the impact of care
experiences on learning processes and interaction
of care and education with childrens emotional
and behavioural difficulties Brodie et al, 2009,
p.16
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Contribution of key actors -including young
people
Key actors social care and education
professionals? carers, family and friends?
young people themselves? By Degrees, Jackson
et al 2005 5-year longitudinal study of
university students with care background Focus
on strengths - key factors associated with
success in HE included placement with
educationally supportive foster carers
consistent LA financial personal support.
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Enjoying achieving
Children Act 2004 s10 statutory duty of
cooperation with a view to promoting combined
wellbeing outcome (childrens services, police,
probation, YOT, health bodies, education) Reframe
d in legislation as education, training and
recreation Every Child Matters 2003 more
achieving than enjoying Previous research
emphasis on achieving
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Three dimensions of educational
achievement (Gallagher et al, 2004)
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Experiences of young people with specific
learning needs

Definitions and legal responsibilities special
educational needs Education Act
1996 disability Disability Discrimination Act
1995 disabled child Children Act 1989 28 of
children in care have a statement of SEN compared
to 3 of all children (DCSF, 2009) Negative
indicator or positive recognition? C4EO scoping
study found discussion of special educational
needs is limited (Brodie et al, 2009, p2)
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Research aims, objectives methods To identify
and explore factors associated with positive
educational achievement and outcomes experienced
by looked after children in the local authority
To explore the impact on educational
achievement of interventions involving key people
including professionals in childrens services
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Specific Objectives
to recognise factors identified in UK as impact
on the educational achievements of young people
in general and of looked after children
specifically, by reviewing and summarising
relevant literature to explore correlations
between certain factors and educational
achievements of looked after children in the
local authority (over a period of two years or
more), by analysis of data already collected to
explore how looked after young people perceive
educational achievement and what factors they and
others connected with them believe have helped or
hindered looked after children to enjoy and
achieve in education, by qualitative empirical
study.
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Qualitative Research
Phase One Sample All young people looked
after who were aged 16 on 31/3 in two cohorts
2005 2006 16 / 29 (55) took part
Phase Two Sample Nominated Persons Invitation
nominate up to 3 people who know something about
your experience of education and / or who helped
you 11/ 16 (69) young people made nominations
Nominated persons - role and participation in the
research
Total 19 12 63
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Phase One Young people interview / questionnaire
Topics
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Phase One Analysis
Grounded theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967, cited
in Denscombe, 2007) Software assisted - NVivo
Version 7.0 (QSR International, 2007)
Qualitative (question topics) Quantitative
(frequency n. young people, n. references)
Phase Two Analysis Interview data from young
people Data from interviews / questionnaires
with nominated persons (up to 3 nominated by 10
young people) 10 case studytype
accounts Further thematic analysis building on
phase one analysis
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Findings
Young peoples perceptions and definitions of
educational achievement Factors young people
associated with positive and negative educational
experience Contribution of key actors
supporters and detractors Interplay between
enjoying and achieving Managing the impact of
disruption and distress connected with personal
and family life Recognition of specific learning
needs
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Young peoples perceptions and definitions of
educational achievement
objective

John going to school everyday, attending all
lessons
Sarah getting good grades in GCSEs. Getting
good qualifications at school
Harry to become betterit means to work
hard and to achieve somethingfor the future.
Get better grades and end up getting a good job.
Just to like give it all I've got
instrumental outcomes (receiving, engaging)
attainment outcomes (results)
Anne-Marie getting where you want to get to,
doing what you want to do. I want to go into
medicine.
Nick learning I suppose. Learning something you
don't already know.
Diane it helps me to calm down.
subjective
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Factors young people associated with positive and
negative educational experience
- Impact of distress associated family
personal relationships (internalising,
externalising) Loss of sense of control
Specific learning needs recognition /
response Bullying by peers Use of control and
restraint in school (esp. young people with
specific learning disabilities)
Motivation self others Support (moral,
emotional, practical) from key individuals
support cluster (eg. carer, teacher,
friends) Stable and supportive care
placement Social work help with school
placement Responsive learning environment
previous recognition, respect, support
current choice Clear goals and incentives
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Contribution of Key Actors - Supporters and
Detractors
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Social Workers as supporters Ben Ben felt that
the person who helped most with his education was
his social worker. She kept me strong and
reminded me what I was capable of. She kept
motivating me to achieve The social worker
(of 2 years from 16 Team) explained that she had
offered help and support in various ways,
including seeking alternative education and
training, encouraging him to attend GCSE revision
groups, arranging for a Maths and English tutor,
arranging for his computer to be collected from
his foster carer and taken to his new placement,
advocating for support with travel, stationery
and equipment etc. It showed him
thatwhatever he felt he needed to support his
education that was within our remit, he received.
He also felt secure in that he had someone who
would advocate for him and listen.
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Exploring the interplay between enjoying and
achieving
Unhappiness at school linked to bullying and/or
teacher discipline/control issues Friendships
important for positive social / emotional school
experience and often as support for educational
progress Stability and support in care placement
associated with enjoyment and achievement at
school Second chance enjoyment and achievement
linked to changed learning environments and
consistent support networks
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Exploring the interplay between enjoying and
achieving
Harry When I was in school I was put on a
statementso I think that is classed as special
needs help. But the teachers never really
acknowledged itI did have a teacher in some
classes to sit there and help me with the
workBut in some lessons it was just like I was
getting confused so I was just like 'what's going
on?' and that's when I would like start throwing
things around the classroom, start being
destructive there was one teacher (a special
needs teacher) she was always there encouraging
me when I was at schooltelling me to get to my
lesson, make sure I was at lesson. You
know. Harry felt that problems surrounding
personal relationships involving girlfriends had
also affected his education.
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Exploring the interplay between enjoying and
achieving
Harry it does mess with your head if you really
like the other person, and they like you, but
they're moving away so I got a lot of support
from different kinds of people. They knew what I
was going through at the time. And I had mates
there for me. My foster mum was the one, even
though I didn't like school, she'd be the one
every morning, knocking on my door. Gotta get to
school, don't care, you gotta go to school
She was there for me, more than anyone else when
I was in school. Now I do actually enjoy
getting up, going to college cos I'm in a course
I actually really do think I'm achieving
somethingIt's just like, it motivates me, gets
me goingStill got my maths, English to do I
feel like getting up in the morning, going
You've got your mates thereGot teachers,
teachers at college are much better than school
teachers, I have to say thatThey're much more
laid back.
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Managing disruption and distress connected with
personal and family life
9 out of 10 young people in case studies reported
secondary education affected by distress
associated with problems connected to personal /
family relationships and interrupted care Case
studies illustrate range of strategies used by
young people to cope with emotional distress
associated with disruption and loss Issues
related to control and young peoples efforts to
regain a sense of personal agency are
prominent Counselling help was often available
but tended to be separate from rather than
integrated with other aspects of care /
educational services
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Managing disruption and distress connected with
personal and family life
Belinda When I first started I was in the Top 10
in the year, when I went into care I stopped
going so missed a lot The loss of a sense of
having control over events and circumstances had
a significant effect on Belindas attitude to
school. As I was in foster care and I didnt
like it, I decided to make a change to do what I
liked to do. This meant not going to school as
I couldnt change my home lifeNo one really
helped as I didnt want to be at school, I didnt
want to be helped. The disruption to home life
affected her health. Belinda described problems
of self-harming that affected her education. I
went to project, counselling services. The
counselling didnt help though, it made me more
angry. Belindas teacher agreed that the
barriers to achievement were her personal
situation and the constant crisisBelinda was
capable of far more but was unable to reach that
potential at that point in her life.
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Recognition of specific learning needs
Late diagnosis and lack of compensation Young
persons understanding expectation of support
for specific educational needs Inconsistent
implementation of support for special educational
needs in mainstream school Communication
breakdown and discontinuity of support for
special educational needs Transforming
expectations about educational achievement
through carer advocacy and support
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Recognition of specific learning needs
Sarah I think I am dyslexicI couldnt really
understand the workAt middle school I was in a
special class and read different books because of
being dyslexic. When I went to secondary school
the information must not have been passed on, as
they didnt give me any support. Ive asked my
social worker about Dyslexia Assessment but Im
not sure if they will pay for it From Sarahs
perspective, there had been several obstacles to
enjoying and achieving at school. I got bullied
at school. Teachers, the way they talked to me,
telling me what to do. I didnt like the manner
talking down to me. The bullying didnt get
sorted so I left early. Not getting assessed as
being dyslexic contributed to feelings that her
needs were not being recognised. If youre
stressed or depressed you either dont want to go
into classes or day dream. You cant take
anything in. But its sad really because it can
affect you all your life.
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Recognition of specific learning needs
Sarah Amelia had been Sarahs social worker for
a year and a half since the end of her compulsory
education. She felt strongly that there should
have been an earlier diagnosis and suitable
support in secondary school but it was unclear
whether the social worker was currently
attempting to facilitate a formal assessment.
The diagnosis as the moment is informal. It is
what the team and myself have observed Amelia
felt Sarahs learning difficulties had got in the
way of her enjoying and achieving at school and
suspected that Sarahs own attitude could have
prevented her from getting the most from help
that was on offer. I believe Sarah had a lot of
tutoring supporting and was also offered
emotional and financial support. I am not sure
it made a difference as she is notoriously hard
to engage.
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Positive Interpersonal Learning
Environment (people, places, plans, processes)
network of enthusiasts supporters
formal and informal learning spaces places
commitment motivation learning needs /
requirements Young Person perception of what
achievement means sense of ownership
control
continuous planning and review of care
educational progress
achievement incentives - symbolic financial
views feelings about care placement
recognised
respect in managing behaviour
emotional impact of personal and family
problems addressed
A model for gauging key factors in positive
educational experience
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Three levels for interpreting and applying
research findings (adapted from Lymbery and
Butler, eds. 2004)
Micro Level ? Individual interactions young
people, their peers, families,
professionals ? Action by young people, carers,
front line professionals, staff involved in
training, support and supervision
Mezzo Level ? integrated child welfare systems
organisational and bureaucratic factors
? Action by senior managers in childrens
services and other organisations involved in the
provision of services for young people
Macro Level ? Socio-political factors, including
local and national policies ? Action by those
with influence on wider policies, attitudes and
opinions including local and national
politicians, pressure groups
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Thanks to Young people and nominated people who
participated in the research Members of the
Steering Group and Advisory Group Anne Hignett
and staff of the local authority Karen
Okuefuna, Emina Atic-Lee and colleagues at the
School of Social Work
David Hodgson, Principal Lecturer School of
Social Work Kingston University St Georges
University of London dhodgson_at_sgul.kingston.ac.uk