1. Outline – partners, timeframes and evaluation

2. Educational Attainment at Key Stage 4
Enfield
Data from Department for Education
Statistical First Release as at 31 March 2014
Based on children looked after continuously for at least 12 months in England

3. Why London Fostering Achievement?
‘My favourite teacher…had such a love and passion for his subject, and his students, that he’s inspired me to pursue both fine art and teaching.
My foster carers had a massive impact on my education. When I first moved in with them I was attending a very disruptive school in special measures and looking at U’s for my GCSE’s.
They moved house for me to go to a better school and supported and believed in me when nobody else did. They encouraged me to believe in myself and through their help and my determination I left school with 14 A*-C Grades.
It doesn’t matter where you’re at, or what people say you will achieve, if you believe in yourself then anything is possible.
If you dream big you have a chance of reaching it, but if you don’t dream at all then how can you expect anything good to come your way?’
Zoe, Young Ambassador – London Fostering Achievement
Enfield

4. What is London Fostering Achievement?
Boosting the skills and confidence of foster carers to support education
Bringing together foster carers, teachers, social workers, leaders and other professionals
Enfield

5. Training
We have run 32 sessions covering 31 boroughs and training over foster carers, teachers, social workers and other professionals
Enfield
Key
Training session booked or taken place
Unable to participate

6. Training Breakdown of training attendees Role Number of attendees
Comments
Foster carers
765
Far fewer kinship carers
School staff
128
Includes Designated Teachers, Deputy Heads and teaching assistants
Social workers
175
Far fewer Children’s Social Workers
Virtual School reps 55
Large variance in structures
Other
142
Includes Local Authority and IFP staff, fostering panel members, LAC nurses
TOTAL
1265
Enfield

7. Training Feedback relevant to IROs
Some foster carers and local authorities have reported delays in circulating the Personal Education Plan
There are things foster carers can do at home every day to support education, and we will have practical materials on our website to support them and social workers
Foster carers were particularly positive about:
- Having another foster carer co-facilitating the training
- Having mixed attendance at training
Enfield

8. Direct work with schools
We work with 26 schools in 9 boroughs, through our delivery partner, Achievement for All – c.170 children looked after in total
Achievement for All have adapted their evidence-based model to target children looked after
Each school has an Achievement Coach who works intensively with the nominated School Champion
There is a whole-school approach and a focus on engagement of foster carers through ‘structured conversations’
Enfield

9. STEEP analyses – what young people have told us

10. Education Champions Activity
We have 10 Education Champions in 5 areas: Croydon, Islington, Lewisham, Tri-borough, Wandsworth
Our Champions provide peer support to individual carers as well as working with local authorities to affect change around education
Enfield

11. Education Champions Impact of the Champions
Engagement with supervising social workers through training and attending meetings has led to some local changes in terms of supervision processes / templates
Foster carers are a resource:
- Carers sometimes feel more able to confide in peers e.g. 1:1 work with carers referred by services
- Well-informed carers can signpost and raise awareness of what’s available in their local authority
Enfield

12. Education Champions
Enfield

13. Know your Virtual School and what they offer
Virtual Schools offer expertise, advice and support. How well do you carers and social workers know the offer?
Does your Virtual School attend some of the regular support groups locally?
Does your Virtual School sit on your fostering panel?
Structures and remits do vary across local authorities. Virtual School handbook recently released: handbook-published/
Enfield
If you only take away one thing!

14. Events Thu 17th Sept The Fostering Network Permanence Conference
Sat 19th Sept Post-16 opportunities for care-experienced young people
opportunities/
Tue 17th Nov Fostering Achievement: Annual Conference
seminars/fostering-network-annual-conference-fostering#.VY0SqhtViko
Enfield

15. Useful resources www.londonfosteringachievement.org.uk
Evaluation report from Rees Centre at Oxford University and Centre for Child and Family Research
Standalone toolkit for schools from Jan 2016
Education half-day training materials fully updated and will be available for all boroughs to use from Sept 2015
- Useful questions for PEPs
- Self-evaluation questionnaires for foster carers, supervising social workers and children’s social workers
- Booklets on practical things foster carers can do at home to boost education

16. Questions? Lisa Belletty, lisa.belletty@fostering.net
Sustainability and legacy of impact
Questions?
Lisa Belletty,