LGA responds to Education Committee report on education of looked after children

“We urgently need to reform our children’s social care and SEND systems, including transformational investment in the services that give all children the best start in life.”

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Responding to a report by the Education Committee on the educational and employment outcomes for children in care, Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said:

“Councils want to ensure that the children in our care are living in loving homes where they get the very best support and education to enable them to thrive.

“For children in care, instability and traumatic life experiences can have a significant impact on their education. This is why evidence highlights that the stability provided by a longer time in care can have a positive impact. It is vital that for all children in care, we are able to provide the holistic support that they need to cope with earlier trauma, and the educational support including for special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) that can help them thrive.

“We want every child in care to be able to go to the best school for their needs, which is why we continue to call for powers for councils to direct academies to take looked after children, as pledged in the Schools White Paper.

“The recent Independent Review of Children’s Social Care and SEND green paper are both opportunities to ensure that we are better able to meet the needs of children in care, including children with special needs.

“We urgently need to reform our children’s social care and SEND systems, including transformational investment in the services that give all children the best start in life.”