Young people, public care and education: some practical lessons

from research

Claire Cameron

CYC-Net

21 March 2012

Research aims

To track the educational pathways of young men and women in public care after the end of compulsory schooling

To examine how more of them might be encouraged and supported to continue into further and higher education

To compare different systems and experiences in five European countries

Project partners

England: Institute of Education, University of London (Coordinator)

Sweden: Göteborg University (Social Work & Education)

Denmark: Danish School of Education, University of Aarhus

Spain: Research Institute on Quality of Life, University of Girona

Hungary: Institute for Social Policy and Labour, Budapest

Research Methods

Literature reviews and analysis of statistics Surveys: national and local area studies Interviews with social services, care managers and

educators (76) Screening telephone interviews (366) Intensive face to face interviews with 170 young men

and women aged 18-24 and 108 nominated adults

Completion of compulsory schooling (2006)

0

20

40

60

80

100

Denmark Sweden England:5 GCSEs

A* - G

England:5 GCSEs

A* -C

Children in Care

All Children

Completion of post-compulsory education (2006)

Post compulsory Higher

In care Not in care In care Not in care

Denmark 2.5% 37.6% 0% 0.3%

Sweden 80% (38% completed)

94% (85% completed)

6% 26%

England 23% 24.1% 6% 23.5%

What explanations?

• What role does the welfare regime play?– What sustains participation at compulsory school age?– What enables drastic falling off in participation at post-

compulsory phase? • Two models

– ‘Same as everybody else’ – Residual - targeted interventions

Key comparative findings

• Outside England, participation in and completed education• Frequently delayed in completion• Outside England, care placements much more stable• Family backgrounds are almost identical• The age of leaving care (16-19) is much lower than the

average age of leaving home (24/25)• Informal learning, social life, voluntary work, more

common in England than elsewhere

Solutions that seem to work• Continuing and unconditional personal support beyond

compulsory education age• Well educated workers – pedagogues – in residential

settings in Spain, Denmark, Hungary• Second foster placements • Leaving care teams, especially with teacher attached• Easy financial access to higher education for all – Sweden• Supporting development of strong learning identity• Promoting citizenship – volunteering, social networks

Practical initiatives in the residual model• Leaving care teams

– Multi-disciplinary– Holistic - practical and emotional support– Help not perceived as control– Targets focus minds

• Virtual school heads– Resources and mentoring– Data collection

Embedded teacher model

• From 1 – 18 young people at university • Direct help and advice on educational matters• Negotiates educationally valuable work placements • Low expectations and limited horizons from childhood• ‘I’ve never met a child that didn’t want to learn. How do we

turn a six year old who wants to know about everything into a 16 year old who can’t be bothered with anything?’

Conclusions

• Widespread neglect of educational fortunes for young people from public care

• Young people in Social Democratic states were better supported than elsewhere

• Targeted interventions can be successful – but are they sustainable?

• Requires ‘educational mindedness’ of policy, concepts and expectations held by professionals – social pedagogy?

References

• Yippee website: http:/tcru.ioe.ac.uk/yippee

• Cameron, C., Jackson,S., Hollingworth, K., Hauari, H., (2012) Continuing educational participation among children in care in five countries: some issues of social class, Journal of Education Policy

• Cameron, C. (forthcoming) “Our young people are worse”: Family backgrounds and placement options in public care systems, European Journal of Social Work

• Jackson, S. and Cameron, C. (forthcoming) Looking Ahead and Aiming Higher Children and Youth Services Review