Commissioned by First Star and Funded by the Portal Trust - this report presents a simple challenge to government and the higher education sector to do more to help young people who have had the worst start in life to have the best future.
The 12by24 Report (Centre for Social Justice, 2019) made a number of recommendations
1
The Department for Education should endorse and support the ‘Gold Standard’ framework. This support should be extended to grant funding for the administrative costs associated with a national roll-out of the ‘Gold Standard’, as well as official endorsement.
2
The Office for Students … should consult on the definition of a care leaver to be used by higher education institutions in their Access and Widening Participation agreements.
3
Ensure that the voice of care leavers and young people in care is always heard.
4
The Minister for Children and the Office for Students should strongly encourage all higher education institutions to include looked-after children as a priority group within Access and Participation Plans.
5
The DfE should extend its data collection and monitoring of care leavers’ outcomes up to the age of 25
6
The DfE should collect and publish data on the number of care leavers and children in care who go on to study for further education qualifications. This should include reporting on the educational outcomes for looked-after children/care leavers at Key Stage 5
7
The DfE should work with the HESA to develop an annual report on the number of care leavers studying on degree-level courses by institution. The transparency should provide policymakers with an annual snapshot of the care leavers student population.
The independent review of children’s social care - Final report
Josh MacAlister, in his foreward to the Review suggests that “how we care for our children is nothing short of a reflection of our values as a country. When we get it right, children’s social care allows children and families to flourish”
Recommendations
- Recognise relationships and the strength of families
- Offer broad, flexible 'family help' (section 17, Children Act, 1989)
- Expert child protection
- Utilise family networks
- All encompassing standards of care
- Business and Society supporting care experienced people
- Less bureaucracy and more practical support from social workers
- National Children's Social care Framework
- Invest and Reform