The landscape in Wales

Foundation phase2013 = 53%2014 = 58% + 5 percentage points Key Stage = 53%2014 = 59% + 6 percentage points Key Stage = 36%2014 = 46% + 10 percentage points Key Stage = 13%2014 = 17%+ 4 percentage points Foundation phase2013 = 83%2014 = 85% + 2 percentage points Key Stage = 84%2014 = 86% + 2 percentage points Key Stage = 77%2014 = 81% + 4 percentage points Key Stage = 53%2014 = 55%+ 2 percentage points Looked after children Pupils in Wales

Foundation phase2014 = 58%2015 = 64% + 6 percentage points Key Stage = 59%2015 = 64% + 5 percentage points Key Stage = 46%2015 = 48% + 2 percentage points Key Stage = 17%2015 = 18%+ 1 percentage points Foundation phase2014 = 85%2015 = 87% + 2 percentage points Key Stage = 86%2015 = 88% + 2 percentage points Key Stage = 81%2015 = 84% + 3 percentage points Key Stage = 55%2015 = 58%+ 3 percentage points Looked after children Pupils in Wales

Looked After Children & Care leavers – Post 16

In % of 19 year old care leavers were NEET 60% of 19 year old care leavers were in education, employment or training An improvement – from previous years Still more to do

Public consultation - stakeholder engagement Public consultation to May 2015 – 77 responses Two consultation events in 2015 – over 100 attendees Working with: CASCADE – Cardiff University The Fostering Network Voices From Care

Young people in care told us They value education and recognise its importance in their lives They believe the development of life skills is equally important Teachers should be trained to understand the issues they face They want a greater say in their PEPs More help with transition from school to post 16 education

Young people in care told us Better planning when they have to move schools and more say in what school they attend It is not just post 16 education which is important – care leavers may need help to get onto vocational training courses or take up employment

Social Services & Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 Key principles: Voice and control – putting an individual and their needs at the centre of their care and support Prevention and early intervention –reduce or delay the need for longer term care and support Well-being – supporting individuals to achieve well-being in every part of their lives Co-production – involving people in the design and delivery of support and services Multi agency – strong partnership working between all agencies and organisations is essential to improve the well- being of individuals and carers in need of support. Comes into force April 6 th.

Part 6 – Looked after and accommodated children Part 6 of the Act sets out local authority responsibilities for: care and support planning placements contact and visits review of cases arrangements for leaving care post-18 living arrangements (When I’m Ready) secure accommodation

Welsh Government strategy Raising the ambitions and educational attainment of children who are looked after in Wales – published 28 th January English – eprivation/educational-attainment-of-looked-after- children/?lang=en eprivation/educational-attainment-of-looked-after- children/?lang=en Cymraeg – eprivation/educational-attainment-of-looked-after- children/?lang=cy eprivation/educational-attainment-of-looked-after- children/?lang=cy

Welsh Government strategy Main themes Effective leadership – roles and responsibilities Building effective partnerships and collaboration Effective teaching and learning – including better transition to post 16 career options

Welsh Government strategy Supported by 3 other important areas Making better use of data Strengthening funding arrangements Listening to the voices of looked after children – to improve the way we support them

The Action Plan 37 individual actions over a 3 year timeframe for: Welsh Government Regional education consortia Local authorities Schools FEI and HEI Third sector

Actions from the strategy New network of key partners with a responsibility for LAC established – series of regional events (January 2016) Improved data collection on the outcomes of post-16 LAC and care leavers Improved data sharing between schools and post-16 education providers New national contact list of key personnel for LAC and care leavers

Actions (continued) New charter for LAC and care leavers FE/HE institutions to have good practice materials based on the Buttle UK Quality Mark principles Ensure a designated lead person for LAC and former LAC in every further education institution Formalise service level agreements and protocols between schools and post-16 institutions to ensure smooth transition

Monitoring Delivery against the action plan will be monitored annually Data sources used to check progress Welsh Government to instigate further measures where improvements are clearly not being made

National Target To ensure that 75% of care leavers on their 19 th birthday are in education employment or training by 2018

Challenges What more can we do to improve the support for looked after children as they move from pre to post 16?