This one-day conference focused on supporting the education of looked after children in Northern Ireland. Three key topics were discussed: indicators of educational outcomes for children in care, policy developments to support their education, and practice developments. Educational indicators showed children in care had lower attainment levels compared to the general school population. Recent policy changes aimed to empower education services and foster carers to support children's education. Practice developments included programs focused on individual children, families, and wider systems to improve educational support, such as designated teachers, additional funding, and mentoring.

1. One Day Conference
Supporting the Education of
Looked After Children in Northern Ireland
Wednesday 25th March

2. Karen Winter
Lecturer in Social Work
Queen’s University Belfast

3. • Indicators
• Policy developments
• Practice developments
• Future directions
Overview of presentation

4. • Attendance
• Suspensions and exclusions
• Attainment in tests
• Exams and formal qualifications
Indicators

5. • Individual characteristics
• familial characteristics
• Care related characteristics
• social structural issues
Indicators

6. Indicators
Indicators General School
population
Children in care
Key Stage 1 (Level 2 or
above) communication
90% 73%
Key Stage 1 (level 2 or
above) Maths
91% 76%
Key Stage 2 (Level 4 or
above) communication
77% 36%
Key Stage 2 (Level 4 or
above) Maths
79% 36%
Key Stage 3 (Level 5 or
above)
72 28%
Key Stage 3 (Level 5 or
above)
74 27%

7. • Exams
– Over 80% general school population 5 GSCE’s at
grades A* to C - 27% young people in care
• Statements
– 5% general school population
– 25% children in care
• Attendance
– overall absenteeism rates slightly lower for children
in care in primary school but higher than general school
population in secondary schools
Children in Care in NI Statistical Bulletin 2012/2013
Indicators

8. • Challenges to our thinking
- Pre- school –Oct 2014 census 30 in nursery
– Cognitive ability
- Importance of education - as a variable in
determining long term outcomes
- Mapping misery? (Vinnerljung et al.)
Indicators

9. • 2009 Care Matters in Northern
Ireland
–empowering education services to support
children in care
– foster carers supported to engage with
schools
– information sharing about children’s care
status
–equal access to learning opportunities
Policy developments

10. • 2011 Education and Health – joint
guidance on PEP’s. Revised guidance soon
• 2014 Reform Common Funding Scheme –
additional financial support school level
• 2015 ongoing development of a policy
regarding the education of children in
care – in place 2015/2016
Policy developments

11. • Targeted at level of
- individual child
- child and family
- wider structures
Practice developments

12. • PEP’s – DENI/DHSSPSNI (2012/13 77% PEP’s)
• Designated teachers - EWO’s and SW’s – school level
• Additional funding - allocated at school level - DENI
• Nurture groups – DENI
• Education support teams – HSCT’s/ELB’s
Practice developments

13. • Tutoring – supported HSCT’s, FCA, FN, Barnardos
• Mentoring –VOYPIC
• Literacy programme(s) – Fostering Network NI
• Advocacy/support – VOYPIC/SENAC/Children’s Law
Centre/NICCY
• Wider educational support – Fostering Achievement
• Training programmes - carers, teachers, social
workers
Practice developments

14. • Are they making a difference?
• What can be done differently and/
or better?
• Research
Practice developments

15. • Links with each other
• Links with other jurisdictions (Sebba)
• Links with other countries (Flynn, Vinnerljung,
• Jakobsen to name a few)
• Listen and take seriously the views,
perspectives and experiences of those that
have lived through the system
Moving forward