Previously Looked-After Children and Kinship Care
Children living in kinship care, and children who were previously looked after, may have experienced significant changes in their family life. These experiences can sometimes affect their learning, relationships, emotional wellbeing, attendance and sense of belonging in school.
The Virtual School has a role in helping schools and education settings understand these needs and in promoting positive educational experiences and outcomes for children living in kinship care.
What is kinship care?
Kinship care is where a child is being raised by a relative, friend or other person with a prior connection to the child because they are unable to live with their parents.
Kinship arrangements can take different forms. These can include informal arrangements as well as arrangements supported by a legal order, such as a Special Guardianship Order or Child Arrangements Order. Some children may also live with kinship foster carers while remaining looked after by the local authority. The new Kinship Care Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities recognises these different forms of kinship care.
It is therefore important to remember that not every child in kinship care is a previously looked-after child.
Previously looked-after children
A previously looked-after child is a child who was looked after by a local authority and then ceased to be looked after because they became subject to certain permanent arrangements, including adoption, a Special Guardianship Order or a Child Arrangements Order.
Although a child's legal status may change, their educational needs do not necessarily change at the same time.
Schools should continue to consider the child's individual experiences and educational needs and ensure appropriate support is in place.
Adoption
A child placed for adoption remains looked after until the Adoption Order is made.
Following the granting of the Adoption Order, the child is no longer looked after. Schools should recognise that adoption does not remove the impact of a child's earlier experiences and that some children may continue to require additional understanding and support throughout their education.
Special Guardianship Orders
A Special Guardianship Order provides a child with a secure and long-term family arrangement with a Special Guardian.
Children living with Special Guardians are part of the wider kinship care population. Where a child was looked after immediately before the Special Guardianship Order was made, they may also meet the definition of a previously looked-after child.
Child Arrangements Orders
A Child Arrangements Order can determine who a child lives with and arrangements for them to spend time with other people.
As with Special Guardianship Orders, some children living under a Child Arrangements Order will be previously looked after, while others may have entered the arrangement without ever being looked after.
The role of schools
Schools play an important part in providing stability, belonging and high expectations for children who may have experienced disruption or changes within their family lives.
For previously looked-after children, the Designated Teacher has specific responsibilities for promoting their educational achievement.
For children in kinship care more broadly, schools should understand the individual child's circumstances and consider whether they are experiencing barriers to education that require additional support.
Good communication between schools, parents and kinship carers is particularly important.
Pupil Premium Plus
It is important to distinguish between kinship care and eligibility for Pupil Premium Plus (PP+).
Being in a kinship care arrangement does not, by itself, mean that a child is eligible for PP+.
Eligible previously looked-after children may attract PP+ where they meet the relevant funding criteria. For these children, the funding is managed by the school, rather than by the Virtual School.
PP+ is not an individual personal budget for a particular child. Schools should consider how the funding can be used effectively to improve educational outcomes, taking account of the needs of eligible pupils.
Parents and guardians of eligible children should make the school aware of their child's status so that the school can ensure this is recorded appropriately.
How the Virtual School can help
The Department for Education guidance extends the Virtual School Head's strategic leadership role to children in kinship care arrangements, alongside the established responsibilities for looked-after and previously looked-after children.
Our Virtual School can offer advice, information and support to schools and professionals to help them better understand and respond to the educational needs of children in kinship care.
This may include advice around:
- educational inclusion and engagement
- attendance and transitions
- barriers to learning
- supporting wellbeing and belonging
- understanding the impact of children's experiences on education
- appropriate use of Pupil Premium Plus for eligible previously looked-after children.
Our aim is to help children in kinship care, including those who are previously looked after, experience stability, high expectations, inclusion and the opportunity to thrive in education.