PLAC Status

For a child to qualify for PLAC status, they must have been a child in care for at least one day before moving onto a new order of permanence, adoption, special guardianship order, child arrangement order (previously residency order).

A child’s new order of permanence (adoption, special guardianship, or child arrangement order) will state within the first few pages that, prior to the order being granted, the child was in the care of ‘named’ Local Authority. This indicates that they were a child in care prior to the new order of permanence. 

If this information is not clearly stated in the order of permanence, then contact should be made with the relevant post adoption or SGO team to request confirmation that they were a child in care prior to their adoption, special guardianship or child arrangement order. Adoption UK suggest that schools can request a letter from the Local Authority where the child was looked after immediately prior to their order of permanence. 

 Once school is satisfied of PLAC status, it can then record them on the school census. The October census will determine funding for the next financial year. For 2024/2025. PLAC Pupil Premium + is £2570 per child.

In any situation where legal parental responsibility is ambiguous for a child and/or attempts made via parents/guardians do not satisfy the school, schools should seek further advice/support to ensure there are no safeguarding concerns and there is clarity over who holds legal parental rights and responsibilities for the child.

Please note that if children return to their birth parents, they are not under a new order of permanence and are not considered PLAC. They may return under a supervision order, child in need plan or under no plan. This return to existing legal parent is not a new order of permanence; it is re-unification. 

A supervision order is not a new order of permanence. It is a legal order which gives the local authority a duty to supervise the parent around the care for the child for a limited period of time. These children will therefore not qualify for PLAC status. They will no longer be a child in care (looked-after child) and will no longer receive LAC pupil premium from the Virtual School.