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Learning with Care:
The education of children looked after away from home by Local Authorities

Chapter 1: Executive summary

1.1 This report describes the results of a joint inspection undertaken by HMI and SWSI in 1999-2000. The inspection was announced in March 1999 by Helen Liddell, the Minister for Education, as the first joint inspection of its type. The aim of the inspection was to evaluate the social work and educational services provided by local authorities to meet the educational needs of looked after children³living away from home continuously, either in residential units which do not provide education on the premises, or in family placements. This executive summary outlines the main points arising from each chapter. The 9 main recommendations made in the report are highlighted with paragraph references indicating where they are discussed in the main text.

Chapter 2: Introduction

1.2 Key legislation relating to looked after children includes the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, and the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000. In particular, guidance to the 1995 Act states that "Children who are looked after should have the same educational opportunities as all other children for education, including further and higher education, and access to other opportunities for development.".

1.3 The latest available figures indicate that in March 1999 there were 11,191 children looked after by local authorities in Scotland. Of these, 53% were looked after away from their own homes, with more than half living with foster carers.

1.4 Research indicates that children looked after away from home are at a particular educational disadvantage. In comparison with their peers they tend to be behind in their attainments, leave school with fewer qualifications and be more at risk of being excluded from school. The inspection sought to consider how a small sample of looked after children was faring educationally and what needed to be done to bring about improvements.

1.5 The inspection focused on a sample of 50 children at the later stages of primary school and at the Standard and Higher Grade stages of secondary school because these are crucial educational periods where stability of schooling is likely to be particularly important.

1.6 The provision in 5 local authorities was selected for inspection. These were Aberdeen City Council, South Lanarkshire Council, Stirling Council, The Highland Council and West Dunbartonshire Council. These authorities represent a variety in terms of rural, urban and mixed settings, and in terms of the numbers of looked after children. Education and social work senior managers, with responsibility for looked after children, were interviewed in all 5 authorities. The Reporter in each authority was interviewed. Two Children's Panel Chairs were also interviewed. The education and social work files of 10 looked after children in each of these authorities were examined and their social worker and key teachers were interviewed. Where there was contact with parents, they were sent a brief questionnaire. At least 5 children in each authority, and their carers, were selected for individual interview. Although the intention was to interview 25 children, a number declined to be interviewed. Ultimately, 21 children were interviewed.

1.7 In addition, all local authority education departments and social work services in Scotland were sent a brief questionnaire requesting information about current initiatives in the education of looked after children. Children's Services Plans from each local authority were scrutinised and reviews of these plans were examined where available.

Chapter 3: Assessment, care planning and review

1.8 It was unusual for any form of assessment to have been carried out on the 50 sample children at the time they became looked after. It was even more unusual to find an assessment which addressed educational needs. Where educational progress was described it was often inaccurate.

Main recommendation 1

Local authorities should carry out a full, multi-disciplinary assessment involving education and social work personnel, and others as appropriate around the time a child becomes looked after. This assessment should provide a baseline for future educational progress. Points for action should be identified in the care plan and placement agreement. (3.2-3.5)

1.9 Although care plans have been a statutory requirement since 1997, they were in place for only a minority of children in 2 of the authorities inspected. They were in place for most children in the other 3 authorities. Where there were care plans they did not usually address educational needs and goals in any detail, and schools were not normally supplied with a copy of the care plan. Under normal circumstances, schools should receive a copy. Statutory placement agreements were little in evidence. Almost all of those which were in place were within one authority.

Main recommendation 2

Local authorities should implement quality assurance procedures to ensure that statutory requirements are met effectively. Local authorities should ensure that all looked after children have care plans and placement agreements as specified in the legislation. (3.6-3.8, 9.18)

1.10 Almost all of the cases in the 5 authorities were reviewed regularly and within statutory time limits. However, only one authority routinely requested a written report from the child's school and only one had a policy on teacher attendance at review meetings. The Scottish Executive should work with local authorities to add an education pro-forma to the Looked After Children review of the care plan folder. Access to confidential information was generally handled well by schools although breaches of confidentiality were noted in 3 cases out of the 50 cases examined. Education departments and social work services should ensure that they have effective arrangements for sharing and using confidential information.

Chapter 4: Attendance arrangements

1.11 In all 5 authorities, good arrangements were in place for looked after children to attend school. Children usually continued to attend their current school when they became looked after, where this was in their best interests. Local authorities should ensure that they have policies for the school transport of looked after children which cover funding and safety requirements, including Scottish Criminal Records Office checks on drivers and escorts.

1.12 Two young people were not attending school at the time of the inspection and one was admitted to residential school during the inspection, following a period of non-attendance. Looked after children account for 13% of all exclusions although they represent only 1% of the school population. In the sample of 50 children, 21 had been excluded from school at least once. Local authorities should monitor progress against set targets for the reduction of exclusions among looked after children. They should also ensure that looked after children are advised of their rights of appeal against exclusion from school and are supported appropriately to appeal, if they wish to do so.

Main recommendation 3

Except in exceptional circumstances, all looked after children should have permanent full-time education, however that may be organised. (4.7-4.8)

Chapter 5: Progress, attainment and support for learning

1.13 An analysis of children's attainments confirmed the research results that most were underachieving in comparison with their peers. In relation to attainment in English language and mathematics, the majority of children in the sample were underachieving in terms of 5-14 targets. Of the pupils at the primary stages, just under half were achieving the expected targets, about one fifth were achieving targets one level below that expected for their age, and about one third were achieving 2 levels or more below that expected for their age. Only 8 out of 25 young people obtained the national average of 7 Standard Grade awards. Only 2 young people achieved the national average of 3 awards at Credit level.

Main recommendation 4

Schools should take particular care to identify the learning needs of all their looked after children, set them challenging but realistic educational targets and systematically monitor the progress made. A senior member of staff in each school should maintain an overview of looked after children’s progress and take responsibility for ensuring that appropriate measures are in place for supporting the children’s education. (5.4-5.5, 9.19)

1.14 About half of the 50 children in the sample were receiving, or had received, additional assistance in the form of learning or behaviour support. In general, the support was appropriate across all 5 authorities.

Chapter 6: Personal and social development

1.15 Personal and social development is a core aspect of education. It is concerned with the development of those personal qualities which enable a child to make relationships, become independent and operate effectively in society. Most of the looked after children had personal or emotional problems, to varying degrees, arising from their life experiences. The ethos and pastoral care in the schools were generally positive, supportive and caring. There were good examples of children being praised and having their self-esteem enhanced. Primary schools, in particular, were good at celebrating success and many children in the sample had gained certificates for achievements of various kinds. Some pupils were making good progress in their personal and social development, but overall, progress was very variable.

1.16 Children had good access to extra-curricular activities which, in the main, were well funded by most social work services. Schools generally provided good opportunities to participate in school trips both within the UK and abroad. Children in primary schools were more likely to be involved in extra-curricular activities than those at secondary. Carers offered a variety of activities for the children, including athletics, horse riding, swimming, Brownies and Guides.

1.18 While most young people had good access to appropriate curricular and vocational guidance, a small but significant minority failed to access appropriate advice. When looked after young people are having their care plans reviewed, local authorities should ensure that effective arrangements are in place for them to receive appropriate curricular and vocational guidance.

Chapter 7: Working in partnership

1.19 The working relationships between school staff and carers were generally positive and strong. Schools treated carers as if they were parents for all school-related purposes. Schools generally spoke very highly of the support they received from carers and vice versa, although a few residential units were commented on less favourably.

1.20 Partnerships between social workers and school staff were of mixed quality although, encouragingly, both considered that partnerships had improved over recent years. As might be expected, working relationships were generally best where there was regular contact between school staff and social workers. Generally, social workers were not knowledgeable about the attainment of their children and often appeared not to understand the system of attainment levels in the 5-14 curriculum or courses leading to Scottish Qualifications Authority awards.

Main recommendation 5

Local authorities should develop an integrated policy covering education and social work which ensures that the educational needs of looked after children are met effectively. They should also provide joint professional development for education and social work staff, and carers, to ensure that they are able to contribute effectively towards the implementation of the policy. (7.6, 8.5, 9.6, 9.10)

1.21 Social workers were generally very positive about the parental role carers maintained with schools. Many social workers indicated that they had delegated the school contact role partly or entirely to the carers, although such delegation and its limitations were not always stated explicitly. There was a minority of carers, particularly relative carers, who required more social work support to play a parental role with the school.

1.22 Parents retained parental responsibilities for the vast majority of children in the sample. However, many school staff were uncertain about how to involve parents in their child's education. They were unaware that where parents retained legal rights, consent forms for outings and immunisations required to be signed by parents. Parents did not always receive copies of school reports.

Main recommendation 6

Unless there are compelling reasons to the contrary, parents having contact with their children should receive regular information about their children’s progress in school, including end-of-session reports. (7.11)

1.23 Reporters and Children's Panel Chairs mainly spoke favourably about foster carers and the educational support which they provided. The level of attendance of teachers at Children's Hearings varied from about 90% in one authority to under 50% in another. Where a teacher was not in attendance Reporters and Panel members may not have had enough knowledge about the curriculum to know whether or not the child's attainment was a cause for concern. Reporters and Panel members should have good opportunities to learn about developments in education, particularly in the curriculum.

Chapter 8: Carers' support for learning

1.24 Without exception, foster carers tried to provide the children with a positive environment for learning. However, the majority had no personal experience of further or higher education and were often unsure how to help the children with their studies. The support that foster carers and relative carers need to provide an educationally rich environment should be assessed as part of the carer approval process. When necessary, carers should be provided with appropriate educational resources, training and advice (see main recommendation 5).

1.25 One authority, which had a high percentage of its looked after children in residential care, had made considerable and fruitful efforts to make their residential units educationally rich environments. By contrast, some units in other authorities were providing educationally poor environments. For example, in some, where children shared bedrooms, there was insufficient opportunity for them to have the quietness they needed to concentrate on their homework.

Main recommendation 7

As part of their quality assurance procedures local authorities should undertake an audit of their residential units to assess how far they are educationally rich environments and, where shortcomings are found, make plans to take appropriate action. (8.9)

Chapter 9: Policies, management and quality assurance

1.26 Children's Services Plans from all authorities in Scotland were examined. The education of looked after children needed to be considered in more detail in most Plans. Each local authority should develop and implement a comprehensive policy on the education of looked after children and provide joint professional development for education and social work staff, and carers (see main recommendation 5). Appendix 3 of the main report provides a list of issues which such a policy might cover. In consultation with local authorities, the Scottish Executive should develop methods of spreading good practice in the education and care of looked after children.

Main recommendation 8

Local authorities should include explicit and targeted consideration of the education of looked after children in Children’s Services Plans and reviews. (9.2-9.3)

1.27 Three of the authorities inspected had separate elected members’ committees for education and social work while the remaining 2 had committees covering both the education and social work services for children. Only one authority had combined its education and social work services for children under one overall manager. However, given their recent introduction, it was not possible to evaluate the effects of these different organisational structures on the education of looked after children.

1.28 Most residential and foster carers were confident that their local authority would provide additional funds for such items as books, school trips, equipment or tuition, if required. However social workers, carers and young people themselves were concerned about whether financial assistance would be provided to support young people's participation in further or higher education, beyond their 18th birthday. There should be specific financial arrangements in place to reassure young people that they will be supported to complete their chosen course of study.

1.29 Authorities need to gather better statistics about the education of looked after children; only 4 out of 30 authorities maintained a central register of information.

Main recommendation 9

Local authorities should keep accurate statistics on a range of aspects of the education of looked after children as agreed in the Social Work Information and Review Group document "Local and National Information Requirements for Social Work".⁴ (9.17)

1.30 The significant number of examples where statutory requirements relating to assessments, care plans and placement agreements were not being met, pointed to a need for better quality assurance procedures in local authorities (see main recommendation 2).

1.31 While the majority of headteachers of primary and special schools knew how many looked after children were on their roll, the same was not true of secondary headteachers. A senior member of staff in each school should have responsibility for monitoring the progress and attainment of looked after children and for ensuring that their education is being supported appropriately (see main recommendation 4).

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