foster placementsFoster Placements and Education

Our foster carers can offer the stability, support, care and encouragement a child needs by providing a safe and comfortable home, however we recognise that their self-esteem and social development also depend on receiving a good quality of educational opportunity.
 
The October 2006 DoE Green Paper “Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care” highlights the fact that generally ‘looked after children’ are continuing to reach lower educational attainment levels than children who are not in care. Clifford House pays close attention to working in partnership with schools and carers to ensure that the children in our care are given every opportunity to do well in education and achieve the same standards of academic success as their peers.
 
  • We always aim to integrate fostered children into mainstream schools, even where the child is moving from outside the area or has previously been excluded.
  • We have developed robust links with local schools to help speed up integration and minimise the interruption to a child’s education, so they don’t have to struggle to keep up or catch up with course work. Where an interim education placement is required, this can be provided in our own DoE-registered school to ensure that continuity and educational routine is maintained for the child.
  • All of the children currently placed in our foster placements are engaged in full or part-time education, either at school or college.