Children with a Social Worker (and those in Kinship Care Arrangements)

In September 2021 and more recently in March 2024, the role of the Virtual School Head was expanded to include strategic leadership and promotion of educational outcomes for children with a social worker and those in formal kinship care arrangements. This expansion covers all young people in Wolverhampton who are or have ever been under a Child in Need or Child Protection Plan or those currently in a formal Kinship Care arrangement. Research shows that these children often face multiple, overlapping disadvantages, which increase the barriers to achieving successful educational outcomes.

The Wolverhampton Virtual School, supported by a School Improvement Adviser, leads this crucial work in collaboration with colleagues from both Education and Children’s Social Care. The aim is to promote high aspirations and support for these children.

Using up-to-date and accurate data, we have identified our most disadvantaged children and the schools they attend. We offer ongoing support and training to these schools and their social workers to help staff understand why children who have experienced trauma often perform less well academically, socially, and emotionally. Our goal is to narrow the attainment gaps for disadvantaged children. Our support includes:

• Free membership for all schools to the Attachment and Research Council (ARC) and unrestricted access to all resources on the platform.
• Support in using the ARC Audit and Action Planning tools.
• Advocacy for all children with a social worker presented at ISAPP.
• Provision of educational advice and guidance to social care colleagues.
• Quality assurance of alternative provisions commissioned to provide education to children with a social worker.
• Contribution to educational smart targets set in core groups, child in need or child protection plans.

Ongoing collaboration with partners across Social Care (social workers, independent reviewing officers, strengthening families’ workers) and Education (SENSTART, Attendance, Admissions, and Inclusion Support) ensures that we collectively maintain high aspirations for this cohort of children and young people and challenge one another to guarantee the best outcomes for our children and young people.

Further advice and guidance

The links below give further advice and guidance on the expected outcomes of this extended duty.

• Promoting the education of children with a social worker and those in kinship care arrangements.
• Promoting the education of children with a social worker
• Review of children in need - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• What works in education for children who have had social workers - What Works for Children's Social Care (whatworks-csc.org.uk