Family & friends carers and the education system

[David Roth]

We're developing advice materials for family and friends carers about their kin-child's education. We want to include information about child care, school admissions, special educational needs, school non-attendance and exclusions, finance and access to higher and further education.

Do any of the carers using this forum have any experiences where it would have been useful to have more information about the education system? What information would have helped you?

Have you had any good experiences of schools and teachers who have been understanding about your kin-child's background and helpful? How did this come about?

We're keen to provide the educational advice that family and friends carers would find really helpful, and your good and bad experiences will help us work out what information and advice we need to prioritise.

[Robin D]

Hi David.

I'll start you off with two 'issues' and one good experience.

1. As a general rule the schools were involved with seem well aware of their responsibilities to looked after children, but were thrown into a complete quandary as to what to do with a child under a Residence Order. We lost track of the number of times were told that they would have to speak to the social, even though there wasn't one apart from around the court case!

2. One school also felt it was their duty to organise contact between birth mum and child at school without reference to us, and despite the knowledge that we were charged by the court with organising contact.

While the second of these still makes me cringe, both are indicative of the same issue being that there are many differing legal statuses for children, and the differences are unclear within the education field.

The good experience was really down to one person. Our child, like so many here has special needs. We were eventually supported by an Educational Special Needs Manager at the local authority, who was just brilliant. She was quick to assess the initial situation, but then took the time to delve. She was open to suggestions from us, and indeed took advice from us on the child's condition and diagnosis before working with the schools to try to maintain the child in mainstream. So if you are reading this Carol.... well done and thank you.

To other's here, if your child is having difficulties, find out who manages this area at the LEA and if possible, set up an appointment with them early on. The only thing is that I don't know how this works out with academies and free schools.

Hopefully this is of some help.

Best wishes ... Robin

[David Roth]

These are very interesting replies. Dealing with schools' lack of knowledge about family and friends care arrangements is an issue that has been raised by other carers I've consulted, as well as Robin and Irene. Of course, according to the statutory guidance local authorities ought to be liaising with schools (and other partner agencies and organisations) to ensure they have the information they need about family and friends care, in order to deal sensitively with children being raised in these arrangements — but we all know this isn't happening.

I wonder therefore what advice you would give to other family and friends carers on how to deal with the school to ensure they understand where your kin-child is coming from?

I wonder also if there is any information about education and the education system that you didn't have when you took on the children, but would have helped you if you'd had it?