Previously looked after children

We can help with advice and information on education to help you advocate for your child as effectively as possible. This can include issues such as the Pupil Premium Grant, school admissions and where to get mental health support.

We've also listed some useful information and a list of suggested books for children on this page.

If you can't find what you're looking for here, you can email us for advice:

• kinshipcareandplac@lancashire.gov.uk

We also provide training to parents and guardians alongside the adoption teams.

For adopted children, you can contact the Post Adoption Support Team. Following an assessment the post adoption support team may be able to make an application to the Adoption Support Fund for funding for specific therapeutic support for your family.

The Adoption UK website also has information about helping adopted children in education.

If your child attends a school outside of Lancashire, the Virtual School in that authority will be able to tell you about services in their area. If you are unsure, contact us and we will let you know where to find help.

Schools that have children who are previously looked after can claim the Pupil Premium Plus grant from the Department for Education (DfE).

Early years providers can also claim pupil premium. If your child is aged 3 or 4 and gets 15 hours funded childcare your provider may be able to get this funding.

It is vital that you tell the school or early years provider about your child’s legal status, otherwise they cannot claim the funding. You need to let them know by each January, when they have to submit their official census to the DfE for funding. You will need to provide the legal paperwork, such as a court order or certificate. We cannot tell the school for you, as we do not have parental responsibility.

The funding is paid directly to the school or early years provider. It is based on the numbers they have on their census and amounts to £2,570 per pupil, per year. 

The DfE awards the grants for the specific purpose of: "raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils of all abilities to reach their potential."

It is up to the school or early years provider to decide how to spend pupil premium money. The pupil premium is not a 'personal budget' for individual children.

If you have any questions about the school's use of the grant, speak to the school. Usually this would be through the designated teacher for previously looked after children.

The DfE says it is good practice to consult parents and guardians when deciding what to use it for. Some schools are consulting with individual parents and guardians, while others have chosen to hold group consultations about how to spend the funding. Schools must act transparently and publish details of their pupil premium spending on their websites.

The council has no involvement in the allocation or spending of pupil premium. But, we can provide general advice to schools in the same way as we do for looked after children.

The GOV.UK website provides more information about how schools should use pupil premium funding:

• Pupil premium: funding and accountability for schools
  How much pupil premium funding schools receive, how they should spend it and how they are held to account.

A local council have a duty to promote the educational achievement of previously looked after children in their area by providing information and advice to:

• Any person that has parental responsibility for the child

• Providers of funded early years education, designated teachers for previously looked after children in maintained schools and academies

• Any other person the council considers appropriate for promoting the educational achievement of relevant children

The duty relates to previously looked-after children who are in education in Lancashire schools irrespective of where the child lives (this does not include Blackpool or Blackburn with Darwen schools).

There are two important sets of statutory guidance which apply to Lancashire County Council (the local authority) and schools.

For more information see the GOV.UK website:

• Promoting the education of looked-after and previously looked-after children 
  Statutory guidance for local authorities to support looked-after and previously looked-after children's aspirations to achieve in further and higher education. 

• Designated teacher for looked-after and previously looked-after children
  Statutory guidance for local-authority-maintained schools carrying out duties for looked-after and previously looked-after children. 

Reach4CARE app

Reach4CARE is a web app for adoptive parents, foster carers and guardians of children and adolescents.

It provides practical ideas and approaches to try out with your child to help with some of the behavioural challenges which may arise at home, out and about, and at school

It may help you think about the needs which might lie behind your child’s behaviour and ways of relating to people, activities and tasks

Some of the suggestions may help you as your child’s parent or carer think about the kind of support you might need, and where to find it.  You’ll also find lots of ideas to share with your child’s school.

Please email: kinshipcareandplac@lancashire.gov.uk for further information.

Suggested book list

Check out our suggested book list for books you could read with your child to help them to understand different family patterns and adoption.