Supporting Looked After Children and Young People at School

The research outlined in this report had two aims at the outset. These were: firstly, describing the experience of using self-evaluation indicators to evaluate and improve practice in relation to the education of looked after children and young people; and secondly, examining the extent to which the use of the indicators is related to improved outcomes for looked after children and young people in the study population. As the research developed, a broader approach emerged as being more appropriate: to study the arrangements for supporting looked after children in schools, including the transfer of information between social work and education, knowledge of the children, the awareness of key staff of the appropriate school and care environments, and the role of the designated senior manager with responsibility for looked after children. The research employed a case study approach, based on one ‘learning community’ (i.e. a local cluster of schools) within the City of Glasgow, Scotland. The learning community comprised a secondary school, four primary schools, two nursery schools and a pre-school children’s centre. The research approach involved interviews with key informants and more informal contact, both in person and by email. Other important elements in the project included completion of a comprehensive data sheet for each young person and provision of mentoring support for the learning community via informal advice, passing on information, and by the provision of a training course for teachers and carers.