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In line with Isle of Wight Local Preventative Strategy (2004-2005) and the Corporate Parenting Policy (May 2004) LACES will contribute towards ensuring that children looked after:

1.1 The LACE service will enhance the learning experience of children and young people looked after in accordance with an agreed care plan and ensure that children and young people achieve their fullest potential. This will be achieved by supporting and coordinating the active involvement and partnerships between Child/Young Person and Carer, Social Worker, Designated Teachers, all acting as Corporate parents, implementing the following strategies:

Child/Young Person
1.2 To ensure Looked After Children progress and participate in education, by raising aspirations and educational attainment.

1.3 To target LACES resources to priority areas in accordance with DfES, OfSTED, DoH and LPSA targets and guidance, and Key transitions as below:

(The criteria for the above interventions will be children and young people on a full care order, or more than 12 months accommodated)

1.4 To provide time limited and planned interventions for pupils who meet the above criteria, as part of a collaborative package of support in addition to universal education services.

1.5 To collect and coordinate the use of attainment and assessment data to aid target setting and pupil progression, in accordance with DfES, OfSTED, DoH and LPSA targets and agreements.

1.6 To identify pupils progress, within the priority group utilising attainment and assessment data, including attendance data, in accordance with DfES, OfSTED, DoH and LPSA targets and agreements.


1.7 To provide a planned exit strategy ensuring relevant young people receive support from universal services.

1.8 To provide social and celebratory opportunities for young people in public care.

1.9 To involve with young people in the development of the LACES service and drop-in facilities.

Foster Carers
1.10 To provide training, practical advice and support to foster carers with regard to supporting children/young people in their education.

1.11 To encourage and support active participation in PEP meetings, home school agreements and parent evenings.

Social Worker
1.12 To support Social Workers in ensuring that PEPs are written and reviewed, reflecting educational targets to provide a 100% return at the end of an academic year. These will need to be supported by other agencies as well as LACES.

1.13 To provide training, information, advice and support in order to support the educational attainment and participation of Looked After Children, and enhance the quality and completion of Personal Education Plans.

1.14 To provide specific training and support for Social Workers, helping them understand the significance of CATs and SATs assessment data and analysis, and Special Educational Needs (including School Action and School Action Plus), in relation to high quality PEP’s.

Personal Education Plan (PEP)
1.15 To track and monitor the completion of Personal Education Plans, ensuring that this data is recorded on a central database for reporting and analysis.

1.16 LACES teaching staff to participate in PEP meetings and reviews for those children and young people within the priority group (Yr 10 & 11). This will involve: advocating for and empowering the child/yp; offering advice, guidance and practical strategies to other professionals within children’s services; enabling collaborative relationships with school teaching staff; empowering and supporting the active involvement of foster carers.

1.17 To monitor the implementation and quality of Personal Education Plans of those yp in the priority group (Yr 10 & 11), and to coordinate an annual audit of all PEP’s.

1.18 To explore the improvement and development of the PEP proforma and resources to aid it’s use.

Designated Teachers (Schools)
1.19 To ensure that designated teachers (schools) are aware of all children and young people in care and to establish clear communication systems.

1.20 To provide training, information, advice and support in order to support the educational attainment and participation of Looked After Children, and the completion of Personal Education Plans.

Training
1.21 To disseminate information and provide training for staff and elected members, designated teachers, social workers and foster carers, in order to enhance understanding and strategies to support and maintain the education of looked after children. This will involve consultation with aforementioned in order to ascertain and identify training needs, systems and resources for support.

Education Officer
2.1 The Looked After Children’s Education Officer will oversee and manage the day to day operational delivery and development of LACES, with line management provided by the Reviewing Manager, Children’s and Family Services, as well as guidance and support via the Steering Group. This will be through the maintenance of a dedicated centre for looked after children which, is open beyond the school day to provide homework clubs, social and informal education and group activities, as well as outreach work determined by the PEP.

2.2 Assessment and attainment data for looked after children will be obtained from Education IT services. The main list would be available once per year. Every child should have current and projected attainment scores (normally from year 2/3 onwards). The analysis of this data will be undertaken with the specialist teacher to facilitate target setting at a strategic level, by cohort (year group) commencing with High school pupils for the period of the LPSA in order to enable resources to be deployed effectively to tackle under achievement.

2.3 Attendance data will be obtained from the Senior Education Welfare Officer for all looked after children in order to provide a statistical profile of attendance. It is the responsibility of the Senior Education Welfare Officer to ensure that the non-attendance of looked after children is followed up promptly, at levels below 85%. The Education Officer should liaise with the Education Welfare Service to track pupil attendance.

2.4 The Education Officer will be responsible for providing support to foster carers regarding matters relating to education, exclusions and the achievement of children and young people who they care for.

2.5 The Education Officer will be responsible for maintaining the database system containing statistical information for looked after children and their education and routine data presentation as required through DfES, DoH etc and for reporting to elected members when required.

2.6 The Education Officer will be responsible for monitoring and tracking those young people accessing the computer loan scheme, and establishing a robust recording system, which feeds into the LACES database.

2.7 Designated teachers (schools) will be provided with updated information regarding children in care as soon as possible. Whilst this is the responsibility of the Social Worker, the Education Officer should ensure that this information is conveyed quickly and a list of pupils provided at the beginning of each half term.

2.8 LACES may provide support to pupils at risk of exclusion only when forming one part of a holistic package of care in conjunction with schools and education support services. This will be agreed on an individual basis in consultation with the Education Officer and will be assessed on need in order to maintain an educational placement.

Centre Coordinator
2.9 The Centre Coordinator will be responsible for overseeing and planning the drop-in centre facilities with managerial support and guidance from the Education Officer. This will involve consulting with children and young people in order to inform provision and activities within drop-in sessions. In addition to educational support provided by subject tutors during drop-in a range of social and informal education programmes will be developed such as self esteem groups, gender groups and creative art groups.

2.10 It is envisaged that the Centre Coordinator will be allocated a protected caseload and provide individual support to Yr 9 young people.



LACES Teachers
2.11 LACES teachers will support the educational attainment and participation of Yr 10 and 11 young people, and Yr 9 and Yr 11 transitions where the allocation of time permits. This will involve: attendance at PEP meetings where appropriate; to advocate for young people; advice/support and liaise with, Designated Teachers (schools), Social Workers and other professionals; utilise statistical and assessment data in planning the educational support of young people.

PEP Coordinator
2.12 The PEP Coordinator will be responsible for notifying the social worker and designated teacher that a PEP meeting needs to be arranged by a specified date. The PEP Coordinator will be expected to monitor the number of completed PEPs for every pupil. This information will be collated by the Education Officer and reported to the Reviewing Manager, Service Manager (jointly commissioned and looked after children’s service) and the Senior Education Officer (access and inclusion).

Outreach Worker
2.13 Outreach Workers will provide support to foster carers and children in their care. This will involve encouraging foster carer’s attendance at PEPs, parent’s evenings, and to advice of strategies to support the completion of homework to ensure active involvement in supporting educational achievement.

2.14 Outreach Workers will work directly with children experiencing difficulties in school on a time limited basis to support educational attainment and participation.

2.15 The Outreach Worker, in consultation with other service providers, may provide support on a time limited basis to support schools in cases of extreme challenging behaviour where the pupil is at risk of exclusion; to support transition into an alternative school, or phase transition. Other service providers would include the tuition centres, behaviour support, ISS.

2.16 The Administrative assistant will be notified by the Social Worker of any exclusion’s which arise for looked after children as soon as possible in order that the Outreach Worker can make contact with carers to offer advice and support. Support may constitute advice and information or time limited support on an individual basis as 2.7. In cases of exclusions in excess of 15 school days the Education Officer should liaise with the Senior Education Officer in order to secure educational input from within the universal educational services such as tuition centres.

2.17 LACES will be responsible for co-ordinating celebratory activities for young people and their foster carers, appropriately supported by staff from the Directorate.

3.1 Progress will be measured qualitatively and quantatively (as 3.3).

3.2 Both sets of measures will be reported on a termly basis to the LACES steering group. A yearly report to the Children and Young Person Partnership Board (CYPS) and to elected members.

3.3 These will include:

4.1 In order to achieve the above LACES will require monthly updated information sheets for looked after children from Children and Family Services. This data should include their name, date of birth, carer, address, legal status, social worker, date of entering care and their school. This will be sent to the Education Officer to update the LACES database and will disseminate relevant information to the Senior Administrator at Thompson House.

4.2 As identified in the ‘Education of Young People in Public Care’ (DoH, 2000) guidance the Social Worker will retain case management responsibility for the convening of meetings to ensure the completion of Personal Education Plans.

4.3 Assessment and Attainment data will be provided in the Autumn term for all looked after children and young people to the Education Officer of LACES. The provision of this data will be the responsibility of the Senior Education Officer.

4.4 The Senior Education Officer (Access and Inclusion), Looked After Children Team Manager (0-16) and Education Officer (LACES) to develop working protocols with schools to agree a prevention strategy for young people at risk of exclusion.

4.5 The Educational Psychologist with a responsibility for looked after children will provide consultancy support to LACES.

4.6 Education Welfare Officers will monitor the attendance of pupils looked after, through regular, at least once per half term, checks of the school register and immediately follow up absence levels which fall below 85%.

4.7 Social Workers and Education staff to be advised that attendance to LACES training events should be considered as a high priority, this will be endorsed by the Senior Education Officer (Access and Inclusion) and the Service Manager (Social Services).

4.8 The Directorate will be responsible for ensuring there is adequate IT support and infrastructure.

5.1 The Education Officer is accountable to the Reviewing Manager (Social Services) for operational, employment and professional matters.

5.2 The Education Officer will consult and plan with the Educational Support professional to set educational targets for the LACES teachers (including PDP reviews).

5.3 The Education Co-ordinator is responsible for the line management of all LACES staff including Performance Development Reviews.

5.4 The Service is accountable to LACES Steering Group and to partner funding agencies.

5.5 Scheduled reporting to the CHYPS Board will be undertaken by the Education Officer.

Education Officer (Kay Jones)
Centre Co-ordinator (Jackie Meakin)
Personal Education Plan Coordinator (0.5) (Janet Coulter)
Outreach Workers x 4 (Leslie Lee/Vacancies)
FTE qualified teacher x 2 (Ian Hamilton & Will Entwistle)
Administrative support (0.5) (Vacancy)
Study support – supply teachers as required and within overall budget.