Section outline

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    Previously Looked-After Children (PLAC)

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    Supporting the Education of Previously Looked-After Children 

    Since September 2018, Virtual Schools have had a statutory duty to provide advice, guidance and information to education settings, parents and a range of professionals, working to improve the educational outcomes of previously looked-after children and young people. The Virtual School promotes a culture of high aspirations, progress and achievements for all our vulnerable children and young people.  However, the Virtual School is not the corporate parent for PLAC, so does not case hold these young people. 

    Key aims 

    • make visible the needs of care-experienced and previously looked-after young people and raise awareness of attachment-aware, trauma-informed and relational practice 

    • promote approaches that support positive educational experiences, engagement, wellbeing, progress and achievement 

    • promote high aspirations and progression into higher education, employment and future careers 

    • enhance partnerships between young people, parents/carers, education providers and relevant professionals 

    PLAC status 


    For a young person to be classified as PLAC, they must have been under the care of a local authority for one day or more before moving to a new order of permanence.  

    • a young person’s new order of permanence (adoption, special guardianship order* 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 a named local authority. This confirms that they were previously looked after  

    • *not all young people with a special guardianship or child arrangement order will have been ‘looked after’ by a local authority and may not be classified as PLAC. Evidence of previous care status should be available through the relevant legal order or supporting documentation 

    • if a young person returns to their birth parents after a period of being looked after, this is categorised as ‘going home’ (previously known as reunification). This is not a new order of permanence and so PLAC status does not apply 

    • unlike schools, post-16 providers do not record PLAC status through the school census and do not receive pupil premium plus funding for PLAC learners. However, understanding whether a learner is previously looked-after can help providers consider appropriate support, remove barriers to participation and promote positive educational outcomes 

     

     

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    Responsibilities of Schools and Education Settings

    • recognise that previously looked-after young people may continue to experience the impact of trauma, attachment difficulties, loss, instability and disrupted education. Identify and understand barriers that may affect participation, attainment, wellbeing and progression into adulthood 

    • identify and understand their PLAC learner cohort where this information has been shared  

    • create a culture where learners and families feel safe to disclose PLAC status so that appropriate support can be considered  

    • ensure there is a named member of staff with responsibility for supporting vulnerable learners, including PLAC and care-experienced young people  

    • ensure relevant staff undertake appropriate training and maintain an understanding of trauma-informed, attachment-aware and relational practice  

    • ensure PLAC learners are recognised as a potentially vulnerable group and receive a targeted and proportionate response where required  

    • provide timely and targeted pastoral, wellbeing and academic support in response to identified needs, ensuring that positive relationships, learner voice and individual strengths are central to any approach  

    • develop and review individual support plans where needed, even where there is no statutory requirement, ensuring support is responsive to the young person's strengths, aspirations and identified needs 

    • promote engagement and participation in learning, recognising that post-16 education differs from compulsory school-age education and that understanding and addressing barriers to engagement is often more effective than focusing solely on attendance 

    • support progression into further education, higher education, apprenticeships, employment and adulthood through high aspirations, effective information, advice and guidance 

    • consider how bursaries, discretionary funding, additional learning support and other available resources may be used to reduce barriers to participation and achievement  

    • consult the Virtual School for advice and guidance where appropriate 

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    Virtual School Support

    • training and development offer for education staff and partner agencies 

    • enhancing links and relationships between education settings and Family Help teams where appropriate. 

    • providing appropriate signposting and building links with relevant agencies and professionals  

    • targeted data informed interventions / projects   

    • free tools, resources and information to support attachment-aware, trauma-informed and relational practice. 

     
    The Virtual School does not work directly with individual previously looked-after young people, including tracking and monitoring the educational progress of individual learners or providing academic interventions. The Virtual School's role is to provide advice, guidance, training and strategic support to improve outcomes for previously looked-after children and young people