The Higher Education Experiences of Young People Leaving Public Care

Alex Hudson a.hudson@edu.salford.ac.uk

• To provide an overview of an on-going PhD research project exploring the higher education experiences of care experienced young people.

• To provide examples of relevant studies in this area.

• To present an overview of important policy and legislation.

• To briefly consider some findings to date.

Introduction and aims

• Young people who have left public care are often some of the most marginalised individuals in society.

• These young people often face complex disadvantages and can be at increased risk of Social Exclusion (Social Exclusion Unit (SEU), 2003; Stein, 2006).

• Most young people leave care between the ages of 16 and 18 but this may change in light of recent policy direction (HM Government, 2013a).

Background

Background• Significant increase in focus in this area, particular

since New Labours election in 1997, resulting in increased expenditure and monitoring of LAC and CL outcomes – from £22,342 per LAC in 2000/01 to £37,669 in 2009/10 (Harker, 2012).

• Policy and service provision has seen extensive reorganisation and focus for a number of decades.

• Despite this there are still calls for a major reform of the system as a whole (Barnardo’s et al., 2013).

• Research has consistently shown that placement stability and continuity in care is linked to positive long term outcomes (Biehal and Wade 1996; Wade 2003; Stein 2006; 2008; Cameron et al., 2011).

• In respect of the above permanency planning implies that looked after children need stability in placement and a ‘family they can rely on and where they feel included’ (Baker, 2007, p. 1174).

Background

• In 2011/12 15.3% of children in care obtained five good GCSEs - compared with 58% of all children (DfE, 2013).

• 36% of CLs not in education, employment or training (DfE, 2012a).

• 27% of the adult prison population has been in care, 40% of young offenders were in care as children (HM Inspectorate of Prisons/Youth Justice Board, 2011; Blades et al., 2011).

• Care experienced young people are more likely to experience some form of mental health problem (Ford et al, 2007), and two-thirds have some form of physical complaint (Meltzer et al, 2003).

Background

• Care leavers are often at increased risk of social exclusion (Social Exclusion Unit, 2003; Stein, 2006).

• Particularly when issues such as sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability and/or nationality are taken into account (JRF, 2005; Barn, 2010; Stein, 2012).

• Risk of social exclusion can be exacerbated for care leavers who do not possess any formal qualifications (Jackson and McParlin, 2006)…

• …a situation that can render them ill prepared for an increasingly competitive labour market (Stein, 2004, p. 35).

Care Leavers and Social Exclusion

• Poor educational attainment can have a lasting effect upon the employment prospects of young care leavers.

• As a result care leavers often spend prolonged periods dependent upon state welfare (NCAS, 2010).

• At particular risk of long term disengagement with the labour market are young care leavers with mental health problems and/or emotional and behavioural difficulties (Wade and Dixon, 2006).

• Promoting the education and employment pathways of care leavers is complex given their experiences.

Education and Employment

• ‘Educational achievement is increasingly a prerequisite in modern society for financial security and accomplishment in later life’ (Berridge and Saunders, 2009, p. 327).

• Research has consistently shown that low educational attainment can have a lasting effect upon the lives of care leavers (Jackson, 1987; Biehal et al., 1995; Berlin et al., 2011)

• The reasons for educational underachievement are complex and require a life course view of children and young people in and leaving care – these include an exploration of pre and in care experiences, quality of care, placement stability, focus on aspirations and achievements (Stein, 2012).

Education and Inclusion

• In 2003 the Social Exclusion Unit reported that just 1% of 18-year-old care leavers went on to participate in higher education.

• In 2011 6% of care leavers aged 19 entered Higher Education compared with over 40% of the general population of 19 year olds (NCAS, 2011).

• Research conducted by The HE Academy (2012) found around a third of care leaver students failed to progress to the subsequent academic year, compared with the national average of 5.7% (HESA, 2013).

Care Leavers in Higher Education

• Widen participation so that more people from care backgrounds have the opportunity to participate in higher education (DfES, 2006a).

• Young people from care backgrounds should aspire to attend university with an additional £2,000 bursary for participation in higher education (DfES, 2006b; DfES, 2007).

• AimHigher - Children in Care/Care Leavers should be targeted, a clear route to progress through to higher education (HEFCE, 2008)

Policy

• The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 • Put the needs of care leavers on the statute books • Placed duties upon LAs to meet those needs.• LAs responsible for assistance with gaining education

and training opportunities.

• The Children and Young Persons Act 2008• LAs to provide a Higher Education bursary of £2000• Provide a statutory review before leaving care.• Provision of a personal advisor up to the age of 25 for

care leavers who return to education or training

Legislation

• Care Leaver Strategy (HM Government, 2013b, p.5).• CLs should expect the same level of care and support as other YP• Commitment to remove some of the barriers that CLs face• Holistic and quality support provided in all specialist services; • Services that treat care leavers with respect and dignity

• Care leavers' charter (DfE, 2012b).• Continue to care for you even when we are no longer caring for you. • Make it our responsibility to understand your needs• Work together with the services you need, including housing (and)

benefits…to help you establish yourself as an independent individual• Empower you to be the driver of your life and not the passenger. • We will point you in a positive direction and journey alongside you at

your pace.”

The Coalition

• Find out how more YP who have spent all or part of their childhood in care can be encouraged and enabled to remain in education after the end of compulsory schooling and go on to study at higher levels.

• Consider how their opportunities to access further and higher education might be improved

• Five EU countries: England (Coordinator), Denmark, Sweden, Hungary and Spain.

• Identified a number of barriers and facilitating factors in successful educational pathways for CLs

YiPPEE (Jackson and Cameron, 2011)

• Stability of placement

• Having a stable key adult in their lives

• Prioritising of education in their foster care

• Carer’s high involvement in education

• Carer’s high expectations of education

• Inclusion in a group of friends outside the protection system

• Participation in ‘normal’ leisure-time activities

• Their opinion being listened to and taken into account, particularly in relation to: their preference regarding where to continue studying.

YiPPEE Facilitating Factors

• To explore the significance of resilience alongside the concepts of social and cultural capital in relation to the

lived experience of care leavers accessing and engaging in Higher Education.

• To consider and explore:-

– the ‘in care’ experiences of care leavers;– the educational pathways of care leavers;– the lived experience of care leavers accessing and engaging

in HE;– if care leavers face barriers to their HE in respect of their

history and experiences; and – the significance of the social networks of care leavers in HE,

and how these may change over time.

Aim and Objectives

• Social Capital

–Social Networks–Family Networks–Community–Norms–Trust

• Cultural Capital

– Familial transmission– Supportive of education– Promotion of culture– Extracurricular activities– Leisure activities

Theoretical context

(Bourdieu, 1986, 1977; Coleman, 1988; Putnam, 1993, 2000)

Theoretical contextResilience…

the quality that enables some young people to find fulfilment in their lives despite their disadvantaged backgrounds, the problems or adversity they may have

undergone or the pressures they may experience (Stein, 2012, p. 165).

– Strong social support networks.– At least one supportive parent or substitute.– Positive educational experience. – Engagement in extra-curricular activities.– A committed mentor or adult influence from outside

the family (Newman and Blackburn, 2002, p. 11).

Proposed Unified Conceptual Framework

Successful Educational Pathway

• Narrative

– Storytelling– Recount experiences– Convey meaning– Define identities– Place within communities– Can illuminate on lived

realities

• QLR

– Experience is temporally situated

– Change over time as data– What happens next and

why?– Experiences viewed as a

movie rather than a snapshot

Methodology

(Riessman, 1993, 2005, 2008; Saldana, 2003; McLeod and Thomson, 2009; Neale, Henwood and Holland, 2012).

• Unstructured interviews and cumulative diary blog data.

• Thematic narrative analysis.

• The combination of methodology and chosen methods will hopefully enable me to ‘story’ a set period of time in the lives on care experienced young peoples experiences of higher education.

Methods

• Barriers to HE from families and professionals.

• The importance of a strong ‘base’.

• Ties to birth family or Local Authority as a positive in some cases, negative in others.

• 2 ‘types’ – ‘getting along’ and ‘game changers’.

• Highly emotive area that requires researcher resilience and reflexivity.

(very) Preliminary Findings

• Difficult to understand the needs of care leavers without first exploring issues around the ‘pre-care’ and ‘in-care’ experience.

• LAC experience increased risk of disadvantage, social exclusion and poor outcomes.

• Care Leavers seen as a particularly vulnerable group.

• Care Leavers require significant support in the transition to adulthood and independent living.

• Rapidly evolving area of policy and practice.

Concluding remarks

Questions…….

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Berlin, M., Vinnerljung, B. and Hjern, A. (2011). School performance in primary school and psychosocial problems in young adulthood mong care leavers from long term foster care. Children and Youth Service Review, 33(12), pp. 2489-2497. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2011.08.024

Berridge, D., & Saunders, H. K. (2009). The education of fostered and adopted children. In Schofield, G., & Simmonds, J. (Eds.). The Child Placement Handbook (pp. 327 - 344). London: BAAF

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Blades, R., Hart, D., Lea, J. & Willmott, N. (2011). Care: a stepping stone to custody? The views of children in care on the links between care, offending and custody. London: Prison Reform Trust.

Bourdieu, P. (1977). Cultural Reproduction and Social Reproduction. In Karabel, J. and Halsey, A. H. (Eds.). Power and Ideology in Education. Oxford: OUP

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Department for Education and Skills. (2007). Care Matters: Time for Change. London: HMSO

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