Section outline

  • Supporting the Education of Children in Kinship Care In Early Years Settings

    In September 2024, the role of Virtual Schools expanded further to specifically include championing the educational attendance, attainment and progress of children in kinship care.  

    What is Kinship Care? 

    Kinship care is when a child lives full-time, or most of the time, with a relative or close family friend, usually because their parents are not able to care for them. You might see kinship carers referred to as ‘family and friends carers’ or ‘connected people’ by local authorities and in some documents. 

    Types of Kinship Care 

    • informal arrangements 
    • special guardianship orders (SGO)
    • child arrangement order (CAO)
    • family and friends foster care 
    • private foster care 

    If you would like more information about the different types of kinship care, please click on the following link: What is kinship care? - Kinship

    Previously Looked-After Child (PLAC) Status  

    Children in kinship care can also be previously looked-after children (PLAC). For a pupil to be PLAC, they will have been in local authority care, and immediately moved to a new order of permanency through: 

    • adoption 
    • special guardianship order (SGO) 
    • residency order (RO) ceased 2014 
    • child arrangement order (CAO) 

    If a child is PLAC, they can receive pupil premium plus funding (PP+), and funding can be applied for from the adoption and special guardianship support fund (ASGSF). For more information, please go to the PLAC section of our Moodle. 

    Key Aims
     
    • raise the visibility of the distinct needs of children in different types of kinship care arrangements and the disadvantages that they can experience 
    • promote practice that supports attendance and engagement in education 
    • promote practice that improves children in kinship care’s outcomes to narrow the attainment gap 
    • provide advice and information, on request, to all kinship carers with special guardianship and child arrangements orders 

    Click here to access important resources, including: