A school policy for Children In Care is not a statutory policy for schools but does offer a school the opportunity to consider their processes, support and partnership-working for children and young people within this cohort.
A school may also want to consider the title of the policy, so that further groups of vulnerable young people are identified as having support in school. Some schools have also included Previously Looked After Children and Children With A Social Worker into their guidance, as these groups of young people are supported in a variety of ways by Virtual School Kent.
The roots of this guidance come from a requirement for inclusive, trauma-informed practice for the children and young people mentioned in the cohorts above, so that they can be supported to attain good outcomes in learning and well being. Ideally, the inclusive and trauma-informed practices will also be found consistently in all the policies and procedures of a school.
When writing a policy / procedure / guidance, school may wish to include the following information;
DFE and Local Authority Information
- Statutory Policies for Schools and Academy Trusts (DFE March 2022)
- Promoting The Education Of Looked-After Children & Previously Looked-After Children: Statutory Guidance For Local Authorities (DFE February 2018)
- The Designated Teacher For Looked After And Previously Looked-After Children (DFE February 2018)
- The Education (Admission of Looked After Children) (England) Regulations 2006
- The County Council’s duty under Section 52 of the Children Act 2004 to promote the educational achievement of Looked After Children
Definitions
- Children In Care / Looked After Children
- Previously Looked-After Children
- Children With A Social Worker
- Designated Teacher (For Looked After Children)
- Designated Safeguarding Lead
The school’s aims for this cohort of children and young people
- Academic attainment and progress in line with their peers
- Engagement in education, through a supportive admissions criteria, high levels of attendance and highly trained staff to support them.
The role of the Designated Teacher For Looked After Children
- See DFE documents listed above
The role of all staff and governors
- Understanding
- Adaptations/Reasonable adjustments
- Tracking and monitoring
- Challenge and support
Personal Education Plans
- Reason
- Responsibilities
- Information required
- Timescales
Other Education Plans/meetings
- Education Plan for Previously Looked After Children
- Education plans for CIN/CP – key education indicators
Other procedures
- Reporting attendance
- Consideration of a suspension, exclusion or reduced timetable
- Confidentiality
Funding
- Pupil Premium +
- Pupil Premium
Support / Contacts / Further Information
- Virtual schools’ websites / contact details
- Local authority inclusion and attendance services (Information for Kent schools)
- NSPCC Training and Resources in Safeguarding and Child Protection
Your school should also make explicit links to other policies
- Admission Arrangements (statutory policy)
- Data Protection (statutory policy)
- Register of Pupils’ Admission to School & Attendance (statutory policy)
- Child Protection Policy & Procedures (statutory policy)
- Behaviour/Inclusion Policies (statutory policy)
- Pupil Premium