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Standards & Practice Guidelines
Duty on Local Authorities SECTION 52, CHILDREN ACT 2004: TO PROMOTE THE EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT OF LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN Levels of educational achievement among looked after children tend to be very significantly lower than their peers. The 2003 Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) report A Better Education for Children in Care showed that there are key factors behind this under-achievement:
- Young people in care spend too much time out of school : they do not have a school place, they are excluded, or they do not attend;
- Too many young people's lives are characterised by instability: a change in care placement can also mean a change of school, and this lack of stability can have a critical impact on educational attainment;
- Children do not have sufficient help with their education if they get behind: children in care may need extra support in education, either because they have missed out on schooling, or because they have special educational needs;
- Primary carers are not expected, or equipped, to provide sufficient support and encouragement for learning and development: effective support at home for learning and development is important for all children, including looked after children;
- Children have unmet emotional, mental and physical health needs that impact on their education : educational outcomes can be strongly influenced by a child's health, and school can boost a child's health through raising self-confidence and self-esteem, improving participation in sports and providing access to health and sex education.
The Government is determined to work with local authorities and other partners to help remove these barriers. Looked after children are entitled to expect to enjoy the same outcomes as other children, including in education. Making a real difference to the life chances of this particularly vulnerable group of children and young people will be a key test of the impact of the Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme.
That is why last year the Government published a new PSA target to narrow the gap in educational achievement between looked after children and their peers, and improve their educational support and the stability of their lives. The Government has also committed itself to ensuring that the central actions set out in the SEU report are effectively implemented.
The duty on local authorities to promote the education achievement of looked after children, introduced by section 52 of the Children Act 2004, is a key vehicle for delivering radical change. The duty is designed to ensure that local authorities take particular account of the educational implications of any decision made about the welfare of looked after children.