Inclusive Practice to Improve Outcomes for Children in Care

The Purpose of the Session:

To

• provide an insight into the profile of children in care

• explore effective personal education planning and provision for children in care

• consider how to develop inclusive practice to meet their needs within the classroom and the wider school setting

• demonstrate how to develop person centred meetings to give young people a voice and how to respond to what they say

• outline the new duties for children previously in care and consider the implications for schools

Imagine…

Imagine you are just about to leave work today and somebody comes up to you and says you can’t go home because it isn’t safe.

How would you feel. What would you think? What would you do? What questions would you have?

The person tells you that it’s okay because there is a lovely family who are going to take care of you. They live in a village in Suffolk, but you’ve never heard of the place. This person is going to take you there. It will take about half an hour to get there. The person also tells you that they have called at your house and picked up some of your things.

How would you feel? What would you be thinking/doing? What questions would you have?

You drive in the car, but you don’t recognise where you are going. You pull up outside the house. The family are there to greet you. There is a man and lady and two children aged 7 & 13. They also have a small dog. They are all very friendly.

How are you feeling? What do you want to know?

They show you around the house and show you your room. It’s very neat and tidy. The person who brought you brings your bag in with the things they have packed for you. Then they say they are going now and leave you there with the family. The lady of the family says that she will help you unpack and then we will all have dinner.

Again, how are you feeling? What are you thinking? What would help you to settle for the night?

Who are Looked After Children?

• Under the Children Act 1989, a child is looked after by a local authority if he or she is in their care or is provided with accommodation for more than 24 hours by the authority. They include the following: • (i) children who are accommodated by the local authority under a voluntary

agreement with their parents, known as Section 20;

• (ii) children who are the subject of a care order, section 31(1), known as a Full Care Order (FCO) or section 38, known as an interim care order (ICO); and

• (iii) children who are the subject of emergency orders for the protection of the child, section 44, known as an Emergency Protection Order (EPO).

Who are Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC)?

• All UASC fall within the scope of Section 20 of the Children Act 1989 and are CiC.

• A UASC is defined by the Home Office as: • An individual who is under 18.

• Arrived in the UK without a responsible adult or guardian and is not being cared for by a parent or guardian who by law or custom has responsibility to do so.

• Has no responsible adult or guardian in the UK

• Is separated from parents or guardian and is applying for asylum in the UK including those who enter the UK accompanied but become unaccompanied during their stay.

Children in care: the Suffolk contextIn Suffolk there are usually about 500 children in care (Reception to Year 11), in over 200 schools:

• 200 children in primary phase education • 300 in secondary phase education• 50 in special schools and • 50 in PRUs• 110 in out-of-county provision.

In total, there are currently approximately 1000 children in care including young people in post 16 provision, nursery age children and children in care from other local authorities placed in Suffolk schools.

Why do children go

into care?

Why are children in care a priority?

2016 Data Suffolk East of England

National

KS2 % EXS RWM 24 23 25

KS1-2 Average progress score:• Reading• Writing• Mathematics

-0.8-2.8-3.6

-1.0-1.4-2.4

-0.5-1.0-1.3

KS4 % EXS EM 20 14.4 17.5

Average Attainment 8 20.3 22.7 22.8

Average Progress 8 -1.09 -0.97 -1.10

% with an EHCP 30.5 29.4 27

Overall absence % 4.1 3.8 3.9

% CiC classed as Persistent Absentees 8.7 8.5 9.1

% CiC with at least one Fixed Term Exclusion 9.06 10.64 10.42

Suffolk Virtual School

• In 2016, 34% of care leavers were not in education, employment or training at age 19 compared to 15.5% of the general population.

• Children in care are four times more likely than their peers to have a mental health difficulty.

• An estimated 20 to 35% of sexually exploited children are children in care.

• Children in care are significantly more likely to have run away than their peers.

Children’s early experiences have a significant impact on their development and future life chances. As a result of their experiences both before and during care, looked after children are at greater risk than their peers.

Children in care should have the same opportunities as their peers and move on successfully into adulthood.

What’s in place to support a child in care’s education?

The Virtual School

#SuffolkVirtual

The Virtual SchoolThe Children and Families Act 2014 requires councils in England to appoint a Virtual School Head to discharge the local authority’s duty to promote the educational achievement of its children in care.

The Virtual School Head is the lead responsible officer for ensuring that arrangements are in place to improve the educational experiences and outcomes of the authority’s children in care, including those placed outside the caring authority’s boundaries.

The Virtual School works in partnership with children, carers, families, school staff, social workers and a wide range of other professionals to improve the educational outcomes of the children on its virtual school roll: children in care, who are in the care of Suffolk County Council.

The Virtual SchoolThe Suffolk Virtual School consists of:

• Matthew Cooke, Virtual School Head

• Ro Harte, Deputy Virtual School Head

• Esther Das, Assistant Virtual School Head, Secondary Lead

• Chris Ruck, Assistant Virtual School Head, Primary Lead

• Ruth Woollard-Kingston, Assistant Virtual School Head, Inclusion Lead

• Dawne Chumbley, SEND Lead

• Michelle Bird, Post-16 Lead

• The Virtual School Office Team

Suffolk Virtual School

For the children in care on its roll, the Virtual School:

• monitors their attainment, attendance and engagement with learning

• monitors personal education planning and PEPs

• manages the children in care Pupil Premium Grant (PPG)

• works with schools and other learning settings to ensure children make good progress and that the Pupil Premium Grant (PPG) is being used effectively

• holds all stakeholders to account

• provides training for designated teachers through network meetings and individual support

• advises social workers and carers to ensure they contribute to the education outcomes of children on their case load or in their care placement.

Indicators of a positive education for children in care

• Attaining at least the expected standard in Reading, Writing and Maths at the end of Key Stage Two.

• Positive progress in reading, writing and maths from KS1 to KS2.• Achieving English and Maths at grades 4+ at the end of Key Stage Four. • Positive Attainment 8 and Progress 8 scores at the end of Key Stage Four.• Closing the gap in their attainment (from age related expectation). • Are not excluded from school. • Attendance is over 95%.• Successful transition and completion of Post 16 education or training.

The Personal Education Plan (PEP)

• The PEP is a record of the child’s education and training. It should describe what needs to happen for a looked-after child to help them fulfil their potential and reflect, but not duplicate, any existing plans such as EHC plans.

• The PEP is a vital document because it provides a ‘collective memory’ about the child’s education. It is an integral part of a looked-after child’s wider care plan.

• Schools must complete three PEPs per year (one per term) for Suffolk children in care and care leavers.

Inclusive Practices

What does your school do?

• Transition in and out of your school• Teaching and learning• Relationships• Managing behaviour• Preparing for adulthood

Some Ideas for Inclusive Practice for CiC

Transition in / out of your school

• Bespoke induction programmes

• Communication between new and old schools

• Meeting with pupil, social worker and parents to plan accommodation of needs

• Selection of form tutor

• Structured/phased first few days, where appropriate

Teaching and Learning

• Stretch and challenge

• Reference to their PEP learning objectives in feedback

• Planning to pupil’s learning preferences

• Chunking of work

• Revision sessions

• Homework clubs

• 1:1 Tuition

Some Ideas for Inclusive Practice for CiC

Relationships

• Mentor – pupil or staff member

• Key person for pupil to access and will go the ‘extra mile’ for him/her

• Staff awareness of each pupil’s needs

• Praise and positivity

• Following through with promises

• Transparency

• A ‘can do it’ approach from all staff

Managing Behaviour

• Behaviour plan, de-escalation plan

• Caveat in school’s behaviour policy to make reasonable adjustment for CiC

• Staff training about attachment and impact of trauma

• Staff awareness of each pupil’s emotional, social and behavioural needs

• CISS

• School Counsellor

Some Ideas for Inclusive Practice for CiC

Preparing for adult life

• Older student/Sixth Form/Uni mentor

• Frequent Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) about careers and aspirations

• University/career days and trips

• Trusting relationship with person who provides IAG

• Frequent involvement of carer (and social worker) in IAG work

“Don’t underestimate a child in care”

(Year 12 learner, CiC)

A young person’s perspective

Effective schools support children in care by:

• Producing high quality PEPs

• Doing the things they do for all children but more so

• Balancing high levels of support with real challenge

• Skilfully linking each child to a key person they relate well to

• Making it a priority to know the children well and to build strong relationships

• Working closely with the Suffolk Virtual School

• Developing strong partnerships with carers, local authorities and specialist agencies

• Making things happen and seeing things through

• Ensuring consistency as well as discrete flexibility

• Actively extending the horizons of each child

• Planning for future transitions.

The New DutiesPreviously Looked After Children

2017 Children and Social Work Act: New Duties

For previously looked-after children:

• the Virtual School Head is no longer acting as the part of their corporate parent: our role is limited to providing information and advice to parents and schools.

• DTs may seek the advice of the Virtual School about meeting the needs of individual children with the agreement of the child’s parents or guardians.

• schools are not required to complete PEPs and there is no equivalent review cycle to the six monthly CiC Review.

Definition of previously looked after:

• a previously looked-after child is one who is no longer looked after in England and Wales because s/he is the subject of an adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements order which includes arrangements relating to with whom the child is to live, or when the child is to live with any person, or has been adopted from ‘state care’ outside England and Wales; and

• a child is in ‘state care’ outside England and Wales if s/he is in the care of or accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other organisation the sole or main purpose of which is to benefit society.

Implications for schoolsDo you know how many previously looked after children you have on your school roll?

How do you identify them?

Have you:

• updated your school’s Pupil Premium Strategy to include children previously looked after and calculated how much PPG you receive as a result;

• scheduled staff training about attachment and trauma:

• reviewed and updated school policies and procedures?

Signs of Safety: “You said, we did…”

What’s working well? What are you worried about within your school?

What are you going to do?

Any questions?Thank you