Children who have new families through adoption, special guardianship or child arrangement orders have positive futures ahead of them. However, it is important to remember that this does not eliminate their past experiences, which can have a lasting impact, particularly at school. Teachers and schools have a pivotal role in supporting the academic, social and emotional needs of Previously Looked After Children (PLAC).
In February 2018, the Department for Education (DfE) published the following statutory guidance for maintained schools and academies: The designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked-after children
This Guidance defines PLAC as a child “who is no longer looked after in England and Wales because s/he is the subject of an adoption, special guardianship or child arrangements order which includes arrangements relating to with whom the child is to live, or when the child is to live with any person… … or has been adopted from ‘state care’ outside England and Wales if s/he is in the care of or accommodated by a public authority, a religious organisation or any other organisation the sole or main purpose of which is to benefit society.”
The aim of the Guidance is to give specific support to PLAC (in addition to Children in Care) because they are highly likely to have had disrupted learning, may have missed extended periods of school and many of them have special educational needs (SEN). The gaps in their learning and, in many cases the emotional impact of their experiences, are likely to have become significant barriers to their progress.
Key Actions for schools are to:
- Designate a member of staff to have responsibility for promoting the educational achievement of PLAC pupils,including promoting a whole school culture where the personalised learning needs of every previously looked after child matters and their personal, emotional and academic needs are prioritised.
- Ensure the designated teacher takes lead responsibility for ensuring schools staff understand the things which can affect previously looked after children learn and achieve and how the whole school supports the educational achievement of these pupils.
Key actions for the Virtual School Head are to:
- Be a source of advice & information to help parents advocate for their children as effectively as possible.
- Be a source of advice & information for schools to enable them to support the needs of their previously looked after cohort, whilst setting high aspirations for them.
VSKAT Advice
In the Further Information section at the bottom of this webpage you will find guides for Schools and Early Years settings with previously looked after children on roll.
EPPLAC Meetings
We would strongly advise Designated Teachers to hold regular EPPLAC (Education Plan for Previously Looked After Children) meetings for the whole cohort of PLAC within your school. The meetings are invaluable in terms of finding out the needs of previously looked after children, so that you can plan and support them in the most effective way. By understanding how they present at home, at school and what additional challenges they may face allows education settings to support them to reach their full potential. By understanding your cohort of previously looked after children, as a Designated Teacher you can then discuss with your SENCO and SLT the areas of need and interventions needed and how best to use the Pupil Premium Grant for this cohort within your school. Further information and guidance can be found here.
Phone Consultations
If you would like to arrange a consultation with the VSKAT regarding your cohort of PLAC, Ever6 CWSW or (with parental consent) an individual, then please complete the Initial Contact Form with some suggested times that would be convenient for us to contact you back on. Please provide details of the school, Designated Teacher and a brief outline of what you would like to discuss with us. (Please do not mention children’s names or confidential information).
Following your initial consultation with VSK, if issues have not been resolved, we can invite professionals (with parental consent) to join a Solution Focused Consultations (SFC) with VSK and an Education Psychologist. In these consultations, we will help you to think in a solution focused and trauma informed way about the young person’s needs and what the next steps may be in supporting them to overcome any barriers to learning.
Adoption Parternship South East (APSE)
Adoption Partnership South East is the regional adoption agency, delivering adoption services for the London Borough of Bexley, Kent County Council, and Medway Council.
They support families at every step of their adoption journey, from their first thoughts about adoption, throughout the application process and once parents have adopted.
Bringing together their expertise, APSE are committed to achieving the best for all our children across the region.
ASPE Consultation for professionals is available Monday to Friday. This is service is for professionals. Simply contact us on 03000 422373 or email adoption.support@kent.gov.uk and you will be booked in for an hour-long consultation on MS Teams, with one of our experienced Adoption Support Social Workers. There is service is there for you to help with any adoption related question, no matter how big or small we are here to listen and support.
Special Guardian Support and Therapeutic Fostering Team
Providing a safe and loving home under a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) whilst rewarding, can be difficult and stressful at times. The team provides a child-centred, trauma informed and outcome focused support service to children who are living with families under a Special Guardianship Order.
If you think you or a family you work with would benefit from this support, please contact Kent County Council by calling 0300 041 111 or email: social.services@kent.gov.uk
Nurture – Boxall Profile
We recommend that a school undertakes a Boxall Profile (or similar) to assess a child or young person’s social, emotional and behavioural development.
Virtual School Kent have the expertise and knowledge to advise schools on interventions that can help a previously looked after child. If a child has other areas of need or support/interventions from Post Adoption services, we can incorporate this into the suggested support around social, emotional or behavioural development; for example, looking at sensory interventions that can also support the Boxall Profiles areas of need.
If as a school, you do not use Boxall Profiles (or similar), VSKAT would be able to conduct the assessment on your behalf (with parental consent). School would remain responsible for the assessment and would hold the information within the child’s school records. Where a school uses Boxall Profiles, we could advise on the analysis of the assessment if asked. VSKAT would not keep Boxall Profile Assessment data on the child’s KCC recording system but would make note of when the assessment took place.
For more information, please contact us.
Further Information
SEND Code of Practice 0 to 25 years
Support for Families with Special Guardianship Orders
Education Endowment Foundation - Improving Behaviour in Schools
Guidance for Schools with Children who left care through a Permanency Order
I Am Adopted, a poem by a Year 6 adopted child This young person's family hopes that sharing those powerful words will “help people understand the complexities of adoption and feelings around being different especially around transitions, building trust with new relationships, loss and how it affects school and the way children hide their internal feelings and mask”.
Who to contact for advice
You can contact VSKAT regarding your cohort of PLAC, Ever6 CWSW, Kinship cohort or an individual child (with parental consent), by completing the initial contact form (Please do not mention children’s names or confidential information unless you have parental consent).
For general enquiries, please email: vskadvisoryteam@kent.gov.uk