Policy for the Education of Children in Public Care
- Statement of Intent
- Priorities for Development
- Background
- Legislative Framework and Policy Context
- Key Concepts
- Performance Measures
- Monitoring and Review Arrangements
- Model School Policy for the Education of Children in Public Care
Statement of Intent
The educational entitlement for children and young people in public care is the same as for all children. In Durham, our Statement of Intent as a corporate parent is to ensure that all children and young people in public care have access to educational opportunities of the highest quality, which will enable them to reach their full potential.Priorities for Development
- To establish a firm commitment to corporate parenting and improve the educational outcomes for children and young people in public care.
- To ensure coherence and clarity through effective Education/ Social Services collaboration to promote the educational achievement of children and young people in public care.
- To positively add value to the learning opportunities of children and young people in public care at all phases of education.
Background
The education of children in public care is a priority. Durham County Council believes that as Corporate Parents we have a special duty to safeguard and promote the education of children in public care. This policy aims to safeguard and promote the education of children in public care by ensuring access to a safe and secure environment, which values their education and believes in their abilities and potential, by asking the question "would this be good enough for my child".
"Children in public care are our children. We hold their future in our hands, and education is the key to that future."
(Education of Young People in Care: DfEE, 2000)
At March 31, 2002 427 children and young people were in the care of Durham County Council. The authority is determined to fulfil its responsibilities as a good parent to all those children and young people in its care.
Research studies and reports reveal an alarming nation-wide under-achievement of children in public care, with only an estimated 25% leaving formal education with a qualification (Biehal et al 1995) compared with 94% of the rest of the school population. This low level of achievement has a devastating effect of the life chances of this most vulnerable group.
In County Durham 35% of pupils in public care achieved at least one GCSE or GNVQ in 2001.
Durham County Council acknowledges that current levels of performance are not a true reflection of these children’s ability. Children in public care are less likely to fall behind at school if every professional associated with the care and education of these children attached the same primacy to their education as any ‘good’ parent would. The local authority and its schools are the corporate parent to these children and will do all that a good parent would to enhance the life chances of these children.
It is important to acknowledge that young people enter public care for a variety of reasons. A minority may be affected by distressing and damaging experiences such as physical, mental or sexual abuse and neglect, parental serious illness, bereavement or dysfunctional family backgrounds. However, the majority come from families in hardship, upheaval or where breakdown has occurred.
Less than 2% of young people are in public care because of offences they have committed (DfES and DOH 2000). The Health Committee Report (1998) cited the most common reason for children entering public care in the twelve months to March 31, 1996 as relief to the parents or family (29%). Other most common reasons were abuse or neglect (20%), parent’s health (14%), and concern for the child’s welfare (8%). It is probably true to say that all children in public care are victims, insofar as adults have failed to provide them with the sort of environment and nurturing which would enable them to develop into well adjusted and secure young people.
Getting it right for children and young people in public care is about getting it right for all children. The ways in which children in public care are supported is a test to the general policies and practices of Durham County Council. The County Council has acknowledged that improving the educational performance of children in its care is a ‘joined-up’ issue requiring 'joined-up' solutions. This Policy is part of a countywide strategy to raise educational standards for all pupils and to address the causes of social exclusion.
Durham County Council recognises that its responsibilities as a corporate parent continue at least until children reach the age of 21 and up to the age of 24 if the young person is still being supported in Higher Education or Training.
We are committed to working together to raise the achievement of all children, particularly those in our care. The measure of our success will be their improved educational performance.
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The Legislative Framework and Policy Context
The Legislative Framework
(a) This Policy reflects the Government’s drive to transform the quality of children’s services and the Government’s broad policy themes of:- Raising educational standards and tackling under-achievement.
- Recognising that particular groups are at risk of social exclusion.
- addressed by a range of policy initiatives aimed at promoting inclusion.
- An emphasis upon planning and target setting.
- An integrated approach to service provision.
- Delivering efficient services that represent value for money.
(c) In September 1998 ‘Quality Protects, Transforming Children’s Services,’ was launched by the Secretary of State for Health. This is a three-year strategy, which seeks to overhaul and improve services to children. This programme sets out eleven key national objectives. The key objectives that relate to this Policy are:
- Objective 4.0 -
"To ensure that children looked after gain maximum life chance benefits from educational opportunities, health and social care."
(e) In September 1998 the Department of Health issued the National Priorities Guidance for Modernising Health and Social Services, which also set out complementary objectives and targets. These objectives included:
"To promote and safeguard the welfare of socially excluded children, particularly of children looked after by local authorities."
"To improve the educational attainment of children looked after by increasing to at least 50% by 2001 the proportion of children leaving care at 16 with a GCSE or GNVQ qualification; and to 75% by 2003."
(g) This Act enables the introduction of Standards Funds. The most relevant grant to assist children and young people in public care is the Social Inclusion: Pupil Support grant.
(h) The Children (Leaving Care) Act 1999 links directly with the Quality Protects agenda. The Bill states that Local Authorities will have a duty to provide support and assistance to ‘care leavers’. The aims of the Bill are to:
- Increase the number of children leaving public care entering education, training and employment.
- Ensure all ‘care leavers’ have contact with the Local Authority.
- Ensure all ‘care leavers’ have a Personal Adviser.
- Each child and young person must have a Personal Education Plan.
- Every school must have a Designated Teacher for Children in Public Care.
- Local Authorities will develop a protocol for sharing information.
- Care placements will only be made with educational arrangements already in place, except in.
- Education placements will be provided within 20 school days of the care placement.
Local Policies and Initiatives
This policy contributes to and is supported by the following local plans, policies and initiatives:(a) The Quality Protects Management Action Plan, which identifies the authority’s aspirations for children in public care and its strategy for achieving them and sets targets for raising attainments and attendance and for reducing exclusions.
(b) The Education Development Plan, which aims to raise school standards and pupil attainment.
(c) The Behaviour Support Plan, which provides an overall framework for support to schools in promoting good pupil’s behaviour and in dealing with emotional and behavioural difficulties.
(d) The Early Years Development and Childcare Plan, which enables the provision of early years education for children aged 0 to 14.
(e) The Youth Justice Plan, which aims to prevent offending by children and young people.
(f) The Drug Action Team Plan, which translates national priorities for tackling the problems of drug and alcohol misuse into local objectives.
(g) The Child and Adolescent Mental Health Strategy, which identifies the need to ensure speedier mental health assessments for children in public care and to provide additional support from mental health teams to foster carers and children’s home staff.
(h) The ConneXions Strategy, which aims to create a step change in participation and attainment through the teenage years and to ensure that an increasing number of young people make a successful transition from adolescence into adulthood and working life.
(i) The Children’s Services Plan, which seeks to ensure that young people have the skills and support necessary to manage their own lives successfully.
(j) The Investing in Children Initiative which aims to encourage the participation of young people in decision making throughout the community, including in local authority services.
(k) The Looked After Children Team which sets out to ensure that appropriate support is available to all Looked After Children, their carers and educators.
(l) Aiming For Excellence which is an approach to quality assurance that places service users at the centre of assessments of service quality.
The review of these plans should scrutinise their effectiveness and the impact on the educational performance and achievement of children in public care.
It is recommended that each of the above plans contain specific references to children in public care, their carers and teachers.
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Key Concepts
Children in Public Care
(a) Children in public care are subject to care orders, accommodated or unaccompanied minors who are asylum seekers.(b) Under section 20 of the Children Act 1989 accommodation is provided on a voluntary basis with the agreement of the parent/person with parental responsibility. Parents retain primary responsibility and may remove the child from accommodation at any time.
(c) Under Section 31 of the Children Act 1989 the Local Authority is granted a care order through the court. The making of the care order gives the Local Authority parental responsibility in relation to the child. The parents, however, do not lose total parental responsibility, which is shared with the Local Authority. Whether children are subject to a care order or are accommodated the Local Authority should be working in partnership with parents. This is a principle of the Children Act, Section 22 (4)(b).
Corporate Parenting
Durham County Council believes that the following principles must be followed in order to carry out effectively its responsibilities as a good corporate parent:- The education of children in public care should be valued and seen as a priority and a passport to better life chances.
- High expectations of achievement should be communicated to each individual child enabling them to meet their full potential.
- All those involved in corporate parenting should promote achievement and actively challenge instances of less favourable or different treatment.
- Every effort should be made to maintain the educational continuity and stability for each child in public care.
- Care status should act as a trigger for priority action by all involved in providing support services.
- Prompt and positive action should be taken to the identification of educational difficulties.
- Every effort should be made to ascertain the wishes and feelings of each child in public care.
Performance Measures
Currently, the established performance measure is the percentage of children leaving the looked after system who have a GCSE at Grade A* to G or GNVQ (BVPi 50).Durham County Council believes that it is essential that further local baseline performance measures are agreed to enable rigorous monitoring of attainment, attendance and exclusions of children in public care across all key stages and that this data be used to establish challenging targets for improvement.
Monitoring and Evaluation Arrangements
Arrangements to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Policy for Children in Public Care will be undertaken at operational and strategic levels. These arrangements include:(a) A termly review of teach child’s Personal Educational Plan by the school’s designated teacher with the child, the carers and, where appropriate, the child’s Social Worker, an Advisory Teacher for Children in Public Care and other relevant professionals. If the child has a change of care placement the Social Worker will instigate a review of the Personal Education Plan. Significant concerns that are identified through the review of the child’s Personal Education Plan will be reported by the Social Worker to the Designated Teacher and/or Education Looked After Children Team.
(b) Opportunities for children who feel that their views have not been appropriately listened to, or represented during the review process to either discuss the matter with their carer or their Designated Teacher or contact the relevant Advisory Teacher for Children in Public Care who will arrange for appropriate mediation. If the child feels unable to contact the Advisory Teacher for Children in Public Care he/she should use the existing complaints procedure for all young people in receipt of services.
(c) Contact from professionals where concerns that operational procedures have not been followed in accordance with this policy to contact Head of Access and Inclusion (Education) or Children’s Services (Social Services). Specific operational procedures are detailed in the County Council guidance , The education of Children in Public Care, July 2000 .
The implementation of the policy for the education of children and young people in public care will be through the actions described in the Strategic Plan which will also describe systems for monitoring progress by identified individuals or agencies. Further monitoring will be via:
(a) An annual review of progress in relation to the performance measures listed produced by the manager of the Looked After Children Team.
(b) Termly reports by the Manager of the LAC team to the LAC Strategic Issues Group.
(c) Half termly meetings of a multi-agency officer group, which will assist in the implementation and monitoring of the policy, bringing the perspectives of the various services and agencies involved in supporting children in public care;
(d) Quality Assurance systems that represents the views of:
- School staff.
- School Governors.
- Carers.
- Young people and children in public care.
Model School Policy for the Education of Children in Public Care
............................. School believes that as Corporate Parents we have a special duty to safeguard and promote the education of Children in Public Care. These are children who are looked after by the local authority. (Guidance on Education of Children in Public Care. 2000 Section 3 Paras. 3.2 and 3.3)Aim
To provide a safe and secure environment, which values education and believes in the abilities and potential of all children.To bring the educational attainments of our Children in Public Care nearer to those of their peers.
Identifying our schools’ role as corporate parents to promote and support the education of our Children in Public Care. Asking the question, ‘Would this be good enough for my child?’
In pursuit of this policy we will:
- Designate a Nominated teacher for Children in Public Care who will act as their advocate and co-ordinate support for them.
- Maintain a register of all Children in Public Care. This will include a record of:
- The contact person in the Looked After Children Team.
- Status ie care order or accommodated.
- Type of Placement e.g. foster, respite, residential.
- Name of Social Worker, area office, telephone number.
- Daily contact and telephone numbers where appropriate e.g. name of young person, name of parent or carer or key worker in children’s home.
- Share Child Protection / disability information which could be shared, if appropriate.
- Their academic progress via the Raising Attainment Team.
- Baseline information and all test results.
- Named officers in the LEA with regard to exclusion issues, attendance issues and transition issues.
- Ensure that there is a Personal Education Plan for each child to include appropriate targets. This must be compatible with the child’s Social Services Care Plan and form part of any other school plan. e.g. Statement, Transition Plan, Pastoral Support Programme.
- Ensure that someone attends Social Services Reviews on each child and/or always prepares a written report that promotes the continuity and stability of their education.
- Ensure that should a CiPC be identified at risk of exclusion then contact is made with the Looked After Children’s Team immediately to minimise this happening.
- Ensure that they participate in joint training.
- Ensure that on admission or transfer all relevant information is obtained at the outset.
- Ensure that systems are in place to identify and prioritise when Children in Public Care are underachieving and have early interventions to improve this. Contact must be made with the Looked After Children Team as soon as concerns are raised.
- Ensure that systems are in place to keep staff up to date and informed about Children in Public Care.
- Ensure that Children in Public Care are listened to and have access to support and counselling in school.
- Work in partnership with parents and agencies.
- Support carers to value educational achievement and improve attendance.
- Celebrate the achievements of CiPC.
Monitoring and Evaluation
- The nominated teacher will prepare a yearly report for Governors on the achievements of Children in Public Care. This will include, where age appropriate: SATs results, attendance figures, exclusion issues, changes in home placements, reviews and interventions to raise achievement.
- This should include intervention strategies such as study support, learning mentor support, home school contracts, Pastoral Support Plans, referrals to the Looked After Children Team, counselling support, etc.
- The report should also include information about non- academic progress in extra curricular activities.
- The Governing body will monitor and evaluate the progress made by individuals and all the children using the same criteria used for other children in the peer group.
- The school will also need to report on CiPC as part of the shared review.
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Policy for the Education of Looked After Children.pdf (9 pages, 65kb)
