Education of Looked after Children - Essay Example

Education of Looked after Children TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction . . 3 2. Importance of Education . . 2 3. Educational Achievements . . 5 4. Reasons for Underachievement . . 6 4. Children in Care and Social Exclusion. . 7 5. Role of Social Workers . . 7 6. Role of the Government . . 8 7. Duties of Foster Carers and Residential Care Workers . 8 8. Duties of the Inspectorates . . 9 9. Conclusion . . 10 List of References . . 11 Introduction The Term 'looked after children' refer to children in public care, who are placed with foster carers, in residential homes or with parents or other relatives. They are one of the most vulnerable groups in society. The majority of children who remain in care are there because they have suffered abuse or neglect. There are two main reasons for children being in local authority care: 1. Children who are subject to a care order made by the courts under section 31 of the Children Act 1989. For the courts to grant a care order they have to be satisfied that a child is suffering or would suffer significant harm without one. 2. Children who are accommodated by the local authority on a voluntary basis under section 20 of the Children Act 1989. About a third of all looked-after children are hailing from this category. Importance of Education Educational attainment is one of the most important determinants of future outcomes for children who have been looked after. Most children become looked after because of adverse experiences in their families. What happens before children become looked after has a major influence on what happens during their period in care. 49% of young people leaving care at age 16 or over and this is the current performance indicator that local government is judged against. This indicator performance has been rated by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (SCI) as generally high and increasing. However it must be remembered that this 49% compares poorly with a rate of 95% in the general population. (Padhy 37) Councils are also judged on the proportion of children and young people who are engaged in education, training or employment at the age of nineteen. Again, performance against that indicator is improving. Although it is important to focus on these indicators as useful in helping authorities assess their performance it is also essential that local authorities as corporate parents have high expectations of the children and young people in our care, and that these include but also go beyond educational attainment. Certainly some of the poor achievement can be explained by a range of other factors, looked after children are more likely to be from groups that traditionally tend to do less well in education, and they are more likely to have special educational needs and to be statemented. The performance assessment framework indicators do adjust for these factors which demonstrate that even taking these into account looked after children as a group are not doing as well as their peers. With the improvement in the early support available to families, fewer children will face such adverse experiences and that a greater number can be supported safely within their families. Research also suggests that there is often room for children's services to act more decisively at earlier stages in children's lives. It is very crucial to enable local authority children's services to act earlier and more decisively when children are experiencing unacceptable and damaging family situations. The children can be at risk of underachieving at school because they have experienced disruption to their family life and education. Growing up can be a bewildering and confusing time for those persons who are in the care system. It is important to make sure that they receive the support, guidance and encouragement that they need. Some may have low expectations, poor emotional and psychological health and a lack of family support. Education is an important pathway to a better life for them. Each local authority has a responsibility under the Children's Act to safeguard and promote the welfare and education of all young people it looks after. A duty of 'corporate parenting' requires the authority to do all that a 'good parent' would. Government guidelines gives specific responsibilities to all those involved in providing or supporting their education. Educational Achievements The educational achievements of looked after children (LAC) remain significantly lower than that of their non-looked-after peers. The national statistics of formal achievements show the differences in GCSE attainment and key stage 2 attainment. For example in 2005, only 11 per cent of children who had been looked after for 12 months or more achieved five or more GCSEs (or equivalent) at grades A to C, compared with 56 per cent of children nationally (DfES, 2006). Similarly, at key stage 2 in 2004, only 40 per cent of children who had been looked after for 12 months or more achieved level 4 in English and only 37 per cent achieved level 4 in maths, compared with the national percentages of 77 and 74 per cent respectively (DfES, 2005a). Reasons for Underachievement Supporting the welfare of children in public care has to be an absolute priority for any local authority, as without the support of the 'corporate family' these children will face more difficulties than most. The main reasons for the underachievement of the education of looked after children are: Instability Spending too much time out of school Lack of help for those children who get behind with their education Carers are not able, and are not expected, to provide sufficient support for learning and development The need for extra help with emotional, mental or physical health issues Poor educational achievement for looked after children has potentially high costs both personally for them and also for society. The Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) report 'Bridging the Gap' identified non-participation in education training or employment at 16-18 as a major predictor of future unemployment, the report also highlighted the links between this and higher rates of poor health, criminal activity, drug use and depression. The report set out the following facts: Between a quarter and a third of rough sleepers have been in care Young people who have been in care are two and a half times more likely to become teenage parents than other young people The children of women who have been in care are themselves two and a half times more likely to go into care than there peers Over a quarter of prisoners were in care as children. Children in Care and Social Exclusion There is a strong link between children in care and social exclusion. Between a quarter and a third of rough sleepers spent time in local authority care when they were children, as did over a quarter of prisoners. Children who have been in care are two and a half times more likely to become teenage parents; the children of women who have been in care are themselves two and a half times more likely to go into care than their peers. As adults, those who have been in care are disproportionately likely to become unemployed. It is agreed that while children in public care are no more or less able than the general population, their educational success is extremely low. However, a good education is especially important to children in care, to enable them to make the transition into adulthood and to break the cycle of disadvantage. Role of Social Workers Social workers have to develop a better understanding about the positive impact of educational achievement on the well-being of children in care and accept that it is a key part of their responsibilities to promote their learning. They must meet the challenging targets set by central and local government in relation to the stability of care and school placements. They must ensure that the selection and training of foster carers emphasises the importance of valuing education. Social workers must ensure foster carers are plugged into local educational resources and networks support foster carers to be advocates on behalf of the educational entitlement of children in care. Social workers must take all procedures to increase the range of choice of placements of all kinds. Role of the Government The Government must reduce the need for public care by supporting children in their families, and establish a Centre for Excellence in Children's Services to develop solutions to family problems. It has to improve the number and quality of care placements and promote educational attainment, including access to free school transport so wherever possible children can stay at the same school when they move to a new placement. Must help young people in care make the transition to adult life, participate in higher education and a pilot scheme allowing them to stay with foster carers up to age 21 and reform the system to make it more responsive to problems. Should bring in regular Osted inspections and children in care councils to give looked-after children a voice. Duties of Foster Carers and Residential Care Workers Foster Carers and Residential Care Workers need to value education, understand the positive impact of educational achievement on the well-being of children in care and accept it as a key professional responsibility for them to promote children's learning. Foster Carers and Residential Care Workers need to be trained in how best to support children's educational achievement and to act in the way that 'good enough' parents do, for example: make sure children attend school regularly read to children and listen to them read support homework tasks ensure the children have access to extra-curricular activities ensure the children have opportunities to do sports, leisure and arts activities have a quiet place to study with access to appropriate resources ensure that the children have the right uniform, kit and equipment contribute to the personal education plan and to SEN assessments liaise closely with the child's school and attend consultation evenings and other school events in support of the child Duties of the Inspectorates The inspectorates need to ensure all their processes are fit for the purpose of assessing the ability of the care system to promote and support the learning of children in care. They must be trained so they know the right questions to ask and evidence to collect in early years settings, schools, colleges and local authorities. They must ensure the joint annual review includes a thorough evaluation of the educational outcomes of children in care. Children and young people in care need to be encouraged to value themselves for who they are, be ambitious for what they can achieve, and supported to meet their goals. They must have the same opportunities to enjoy and achieve as all other children. There should have opportunities to enjoy sports, leisure and arts activities and have access to books and other learning and leisure resources. They should be able to make and keep friends and share their company after school, at weekends and during holidays. Conclusion Young people who attend school regularly are more likely to get the most they can out of their time at school, and therefore more likely to achieve their potential, and less likely to take part in anti-social or criminal behaviour. There are still significant gaps in our knowledge of educational outcomes for children in care. The Children Act and the drive to integrate services potentially offers huge opportunities to build on the significant progress that has been made by local authorities in this area. The importance of educational achievement for looked after children and the crucial role of the local authority in creating the conditions for this success make this area a key concern for the Children and Young People Board. It is as yet unclear how the differing impacts of the integration agenda and the changes to admissions processes will affect the outcomes for looked after children. References Anil K Nair, " Education of Children in 20th Century" February 2003.11-28 "A study of access to literacy for children in care" Literacytrust.org.uk retrieved on January 06, 2007. [http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/Research/careusares.html] "Definition of Looked After Children." Wikipedia.com. retrieved on January 02, 2007. [http://www.wikipedia.com/ua/] "Effective Education" The OutLook Magazine, New Delhi. 2006 pp. 31 "Educating looked after children" Kent.gov.uk retrieved on January 03, 2007. [http://www. Kent.gov.uk/ education-and-learning] "Every Child Matters" Everychildmatters.gov.uk retrieved on January 05, 2007. [http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/socialcare/lookedafterchildren/] Felicity Fletcher-Campbell "The Education of Children Who Are Looked After" NFER, 1997. Felicity Fletcher-Campbell and Tamsin Archer "The Achievement at Key Stage Four of Young People in Public Care" NFER. 2003 Kelkar R.V. "Education and Children." Eastern Book Company. Lucknow. 2005. "Looked After Children" Childpolicyinfo.childreninscotland.org.uk retrieved on January 05, 2007.[http://childpolicyinfo.childreninscotland.org.uk/nations- articles] "Looked After Children" Thesource.me.uk retrieved on January 04, 2007. [http://www.thesource.me.uk/your_life/law_and_rights/] "Outcome Indicators for Looked-After Children" England, DH, 2003. "Official Statistics and Surveys, DH" Dh.gov.uk retieed on January 02 2007. [http//:www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/fs/en] "The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000", Lawmann's Publications, UK Padhy M. Towards Better Future..Tata Mc Graw Hills.Delhi.2006.10-40 Read More