Thread by @NYASServices

Hello and Happy Thursday! 😊

We are thrilled to be taking part in @GovtEvents 'Supporting the Education of Children in Care 2022' conference today! 👏🏾

We'll be live tweeting throughout the event, brining you all the highlights & updates until 3:15pm 😊

#GEChildrenInCareEd

@GovtEvents We're welcomed by Rita Waters, NYAS CEO as she introduces the event. The event is set to be filled with great insights from industry leaders 👏🏼

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Our first Keynote speaker this morning is Dr Carol Homden CBE, CEO of @Coram 📢

She's discussing the importance of ensuring the best possible education for children in care, because school matters.

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Dr Homden shares that whilst children in care often underperform in comparison to their peers, that does not mean that they do not enjoy school 📚

For many children in care, school plays a positive role in their lives, and is a place they feel listened to.

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Patrick begins by discussing the role of Personal Education Plans (PEP) within schools 📄

Alongside being a statutory document, PEPs are a process which reflects the full network of organisations supporting the corporate parenting of children in care 💭

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Have you heard of Virtual Schools? 🤔

Patrick discussed the role of The Virtual School, specifically relating to PEPs 📑

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Personal Education Plans should have targets which are educational in nature, referencing wellbeing and should also capture long term goals and consider a variety of career pathways 📖

As much as possible, we should give control of the PEP to young people 📚

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One of the challenges PEPs face is the lack of funding after Year 11 💷

Lead professionals should still maintain contact with young people after 16, to see through the targets for progress and aspiration 📣

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'I'm not going to tell my story again.'

Rita and Patrick share how important a PEP can be as a single point of contact for young people, and the importance of consistency of engagement for children and care 🗣

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'They won't amount to anything.'

Unfortunately, many children in care still feel a stigma because of their living situation. This is why the focus on ambition and aspiration within a PEP is so important 💫
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Time for a Q+A session! 🗣

Dr Carol from @Coram shares the challenges faced when supporting the wellbeing of children in care:

• Inconsistency in their networks
• Lack of follow through with promised plans

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'Every one of us can do something more to celebrate children in care every day.' - Carol Homden CBE, @Coram CEO

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Patrick answers a question about employability support from local stakeholders for post-16 children in care 📢

He shares how LAs can:

• Work with local businesses to offer apprenticeships
• Build opportunities for care leavers into contractor eligibility

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'I didn't leave care, care left me.'

Rita shares how important advocacy support can be to support young care leavers as they progress to higher education/apprenticeships/independent living 📣

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Q: How can schools change the narrative for children in care?

A: Dr Carol shares that celebrating children in care in the school environment is really powerful. Inviting #CEP role models to share their journey can also be really impactful 💬

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And that's a wrap on the first morning session ☀️

We'll be back at 11:30am, focusing on long term educational support for children in care & supporting their mental health and wellbeing 💭

We'll be hearing from @WolvesCouncil, @FirstStar and @Colebourne 👏🏽

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We're back with the 2nd morning session of #GEChildrenInCareEd ☀️

We're kicking off with Darren Martindale, Service Manager for Vulnerable Learners @WolvesCouncil.
He's discussing 'Harnessing a Long Term Approach to Support the Education of Young People Previously in Care' 📣

Darren recaps the role of The Designated Teacher - a senior leadership staff member who is responsible for looked after children within schools 📚

It's important that this staff member has the capacity, expertise and time to dedicate to this role 🧑🏻‍🏫

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The Designated Teacher should be supported by the rest of the school staff to ensure a wider culture which promotes meeting the individual needs of every care experienced child 📚

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Many people think adoption is a 'happy ending', but the trauma that a child has experienced does not disappear when they are adopted 💭

As support can lessen when children are adopted, this means that they can continue to be considered vulnerable 🏡

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Communication, particularly between home and school, is key to ensuring that previously looked after children receive the best support possible 🙌🏼

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Darren emphasises Patrick's earlier points about the importance of raising the aspirations of previously looked after children 💫

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We're moving to our next keynote speaker now: Lorna Goodwin, Executive Director from @FirstStarUK Scholars ⭐️

Her session is all about Working with Children in Care to Deliver Long-Term, Sustainable Support in Education 📚

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Lorna builds on Carol's emphasis on finding the right friend in education settings.

One of the special benefits of @FirstStarUK is the connection with other young people from similar backgrounds in a safe learning space 👩🏽‍🤝‍👩🏻

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Every young person @FirstStarUK has a looked after background, removing the barrier of 'feeling different' or the pressure to re-explain their story 📚

#CEP young people can develop confidence in an encouraging learning space with a positive narrative 📖

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One of the main priorities of @FirstStarUK is to deliver, stable, long term support which places the young people at the centre 😊

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'What is right for one, may not be right for the other'

By partnering with universities, @FirstStarUK young people become part of a wider community where their individuality isn't just recognised, it's celebrated 🎉

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@FirstStarUK is a consistent feature for #CEP young people. If their social worker or placement changes - First Star is still there! 💭

Attending is also a choice that the young people make, empowering them to make decisions which affect their future 👏🏼

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At @FirstStarUK, young people can gain inspiration and aspiration from each other! ⭐️

A great way to end Lorna's presentation!

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We now move onto the final keynote speaker of the morning sessions 🎤

Stuart Guest is the Headteacher at @Colebourne, as well as being an adoptive parent himself 👨🏻‍🏫

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Stuart emphasises that the most important thing for educational settings to do in order to support looked after children, is simply to care 😊

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From age 10/11, attainment for looked after children is already much lower than many of their peers 📚

We know that attainment is linked to self esteem, so more needs to be done to get this right early on to prevent repeating patterns 📗

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From the day-to-day policies to school documents and using specialist external providers, support for looked after children should be a school culture, not just a tick box 📖

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The child should always be at the centre of support policies created within schools 👧🏾

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Stuart shares the impact of ACEs on the social, emotional and cognitive development of children and young people. This is why early intervention is crucial ⬇️

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Trauma is complex, so it's essential that school staff are trained and educated about the difference ACEs and trauma events that children can face 👩🏾‍🏫

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Compassion is the key word to remember when working with #CEP children ☺️

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Disturbed attachment cycles mean that children won't have their needs met. This leads to increased frustration throughout their lives, which can negatively impact their learning experience at school 📚

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Trauma changes the brain structure of children - this is something educators needs to understand and remember when dealing with looked after children 👨🏽‍🏫

Strong relationships is the best way to support children with trauma ☀️

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We're onto another Q+A session now 💬

When asked how educators can ensure looked after children do not miss out on school, Darren shares that a graduated approach is best, rather than waiting until children are on edge on exclusion 👦🏼

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Lorna shares that @FirstStarUK provides physical campus hubs at select universities, but there is also an online offering for looked after children across the whole country 💻

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Q: What is the best way to use Pupil Premium Plus funding?

A: Darren and Stuart share that the individual needs of the children should always come first. This could be digital access through iPads, or staff wide training on trauma informed approaches 💰

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Wow! What a wonderfully inspiring, educational and motivating morning at #GEChildrenInCareEd ☀️

The event is breaking for lunch now, and we'll be back at 1:35pm to share the afternoon session with you ⏰

#CEP #everychildmatters

And the afternoon session begins #GEChildrenInCareEd ☀️

The session kicks off with a keynote speech by NYAS' CEO - Rita Waters. 👉Bridging the Gap: Supporting Care Leavers into Higher Education and Employment Opportunities.

Rita shares a snapshot of barriers that care leavers face in accessing higher education and shares potential solutions to overcoming these barriers.

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Alongside access to an independent advocate, support must be all-encompassing for care-experienced young people. 💪💪

"If we cant work to support young people with housing needs, then they are the next set of homeless people that we will be seeing." - Rita Waters

NYAS' Side by Side project is one of the many ways we support care leavers while transitioning from care to independence. 👇

We are now hearing from a care leaver who is also one of NYAS' campaign advisors.

They share their experience in care and highlight areas for change and support needed by care-experienced young people.

⭐️"I have to work as hard as my peers or harder because of my care experience trauma, so I need support"

⭐️In terms of youth empowerment, they shared that corporate parents must "take time to get to know young people and fuel their fire"

⭐️"We glorify young people going into adult education but are we supporting them on their journey?"

⭐️"Children in care need the reminder that though the journey may be difficult, the outcome will benefit them"

⭐️"You cannot get over trauma in a day, it takes time."

Now introducing Mary-Anne Hodd (Care Experienced Advisor) who will be sharing her lived experience and shedding light on the educational experiences of children in care.

Q: How do we make sure every child has a voice and is valued?

"Children in care carry an invisible rucksack apart from their school rucksack. These rucksacks symbolise pain, trauma, survival, adversity, and so on." - Mary-Anne Hodd

Q: How can we support children in care from ADVERSITY to PROSPERITY?

👉See challenging behaviours as communication of a need.
👉Reframe the language on how we talk to children in care
👉Shift the culture of care to include more connections and understanding of lived experiences

Q: How can we give children a choice to feel empowered in terms of decision-making?

A: Focus on interdependence. Have a culture of care where children and young people are learning from each other.

#GEChildrenInCareEd #CEP #everychildmatters

In exploring whole-school strategies to build stability and prevent exclusions of children in care, we have a presentation from Suzanne Parrott (Headteacher, Achieving for Children Virtual School) and Dr Jennifer (Head, Educational Psychologist AfC Virtual School).

"Stability is everyone's business. We must all be aware of the impact of school moves on children and young people."✍️ - Suzanne Parrott

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Now on to the final Q 'n' A session 🗣️

Q1 - How can L/As and schools work together to improve the use of language?

"Connect emotionally to the impact of language, educate yourselves and have the confidence to challenge the jargon associated with care." - Mary-Anne Hodd

Q2: What can L/As do to support young people transitioning into independent living?

"It is not just a task for L/As. Young people must be prepared for the world outside school. It's also about teaching them the basic survival needs." - Rita Waters

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Q3: What can teachers do to support care-experienced young people?

👉Know their entitlements
👉Advocate for the right support
👉Get the education to understand lived experiences and how it impacts brain development
👉Adopt a trauma-informed approach to managing adversity

Q4: How can schools and L/As improve trauma-informed practices?

📌Create training to help them recognise trauma and triggers of trauma
📌Promote Mindfulness
📌Teachers need to be sensitive to issues children go through
📌Encourage positivity

We have now come to the end of an emotional, thought-provoking, yet insightful conference!

Ending with a vote of thanks by NYAS CEO Rita Waters urging us all to not just HEAR children but LISTEN to them!

Thanks, @GovtEvents for putting this event together.
#GEChildrenInCareEd