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5.0 DESIGNATED MANAGER FOR IMPROVING EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES IN SCOTLAND'S RESIDENTIAL CHILDCARE ESTABLISHMENTS

Context

Following the publication of the Learning With Care report a great deal of activity has been undertaken in residential child care establishments in relation to improving the educational outcomes of looked after children and young people, e.g. creating a more educationally rich living environment to support children and young people's learning.

Having a designated manager is critical to making joint working a reality. This person will have responsibility for promoting the education of children and young people within their residential establishment and a key function will be to develop the establishment's policy and practice in this context and ensure that it is implemented. The designated manager must have a working knowledge of education systems and understand the importance of children and young people being given every opportunity to maximise their educational potential.

The following set of core tasks relate to all residential establishments across Scotland who provide care for looked after children and young people; children's units/homes/houses, the care units within residential school and secure units.

Residential childcare establishments from across Scotland vary in size, location and type. However, it is essential that all establishments have a named senior member of the staff team who has a specific responsibility in relation to improving the educational outcomes of the children and young people in their care.

It is recognised that the responsibilities associated with the designated manager role may be fulfilled differently depending on the circumstances and staffing structures present in individual establishments. The designated manager must, however, ensure that the core tasks are routinely and consistently undertaken within their establishment; this is particularly relevant where some tasks may have been delegated to other members of staff.

Core tasks

The following sets out the core tasks which are considered necessary in relation to the role of designated manager for improving educational outcomes within residential childcare establishments.

Communication

• The designated manager holds a co-ordinating brief in relation to promoting the positive educational experience and outcomes for all the children and young people in their establishment.
• The designated manager must know all the educational establishments/education providers which their children and young people attend and develop working relationships with the relevant designated senior manager for looked after children and young people within each educational establishment.
• The designated manager must ensure effective communication pathways are created, maintained and recorded between home and school for all the children in their establishment and ensure that all relevant staff within the establishment are fully aware of these.
• The designated manager must ensure that all information relevant to the child's personal situation which impact on their capacity to engage and learn is shared with the designated senior manager within the school. Ideally this should be done immediately and in partnership with the child or young person's parent/carer (as appropriate) and their social worker/case manager. As part of this task, the children and young people and their parent/carer (as appropriate) should be consulted and advised about what information is being shared and why.
• The designated manager must ensure that all staff are aware of the restrictions and freedoms in relation to confidentiality when communicating with educational establishments.
• The designated manager must ensure that appropriate communication and involvement with families and carers on issues regarding the education of their child or young person occurs as soon as possible after they arrive in their establishment. Thereafter the designated manager should ensure that this communication routinely takes place and that all the communication is recorded appropriately.
• The designated manager must ensure that each school has up to date contact information for all of the adults who have parental responsibility for the child or young person; the exception being where the safety and wellbeing of the child is likely to be compromised.
• The designated manager has responsibility to keep up to date with all circulars, legislation and information on the education of looked after children and young people and for ensuring that these are communicated and understood by all workers involved in the care of the children and young people within their establishment.
• The designated manager will work with colleagues in the establishment to raise awareness of the educational needs of looked after children and young people to ensure that all staff have an understanding of the context and particular responsibilities they have to promote and support the educational experience of the child or young person.

Meeting the needs of looked after children and young people

• The designated manager must liaise closely with residential colleagues, school staff, parents/carers, social work services staff and other agency personnel involved with the child, to ensure coordinated support arrangements are in place to maximise the child or young person's learning potential.
• The designated manager must work closely with the educational establishments (including further and higher educational establishments) to ensure that the educational needs of the children and young people in their establishment are clearly identified and that the appropriate support plans are in place, and that these plans are closely linked to the child or young person's care plan. Additionally, the designated manager will closely monitor and support the implementation of these plans, including contributing to the needs within the residential establishment. The monitoring of attainment, achievement, attendance and exclusion statistics in relation to the children and young people in their establishment will be an essential component of this process.
• The designated manager should take an active interest in supporting the educational establishment to ensure that children and young people with additional support needs have appropriate ASL assessment and planning in place and that these are reflected in care planning documentation.
• The designated manager should liaise with the relevant social worker/case manager to ensure that there is an appropriate educational input to all statutory care plan reviews and Children's Hearings.
• The designated manager should encourage residential workers, parents/carers and social workers to give priority to educational needs, and to help assess and balance the demands of education versus the need for contact arrangements ( i.e. contact with parents, etc.) and health appointments to take place within school hours. Contact with family and health appointments should only in exceptional circumstances take place within school hours.
• The designated manager must ensure that the sending or receiving placement is immediately contacted in circumstances where children and young people move placement. In addition, the designated manager must also ensure that accurate and up-to_-date educational records are transferred between placements within five working days.

Advocacy

• The designated manager must consult routinely with children and young people regarding their school experience in order to identify and seek resolutions to issues or concerns raised. If concerns remain unresolved then it would be helpful to note them for discussion with the nominated person within the local education authority for looked after children and young people.
• The designated manager must ensure that all staff within their establishment are aware of the right of children to have a full-time education which should normally take place in a mainstream school. In addition, the designated manager should consider challenging decisions which undermine such rights, e.g. issues relating to attendance and exclusion. However, the designated manager should also be aware that there may be times when the child or young person, for whatever reason, may not be able to access education.
• Where a child or young person is not in education, or not receiving full-time education, the designated manager should immediately inform the placing authority and request an urgent review involving all relevant parties, including the child or young person and their parent/carer (as appropriate).
• The designated manager must ensure that all children and young people are involved in decisions taken about them and their education and that their views are actively sought.
• The designated manager must ensure that all staff within their establishment guard against having low expectations of looked after children and young people and that they are aware of the potential of looked after children and young people being bullied or feeling stigmatised.

Learning and Development

• The designated manager should regularly attend multi-agency training courses relating to the education of looked after children and young people, as appropriate.
• The designated manager is an advisor for establishment staff on issues to do with the education of looked after children and young people; including their role as corporate parents to all the children and young people within the establishment. The designated manager should ensure that staff receive appropriate access to training, information, time and support to improve the education of the children and young people in their establishment.
• The designated manager must ensure that they remain up to date with all national and local developments in relation to the education of looked after children and young people, e.g. joint policies and procedures between education, social work and health services.
• The designated manager must ensure that they remain up to date with resources available to their establishment which could potentially support and improve the educational experience of the children and young people and all members of staff. The designated manager must ensure that this information is shared throughout their establishment.

Educationally Rich Environment.

• The designated manager must encourage the development of a positive learning culture within the establishment for children and young people and members of staff, alike. The establishment must have a culture which promotes the value of education and lifelong learning.
• The designated manager should ensure that an annual evaluation of the "educational richness" of their establishment is undertaken using relevant parts of the National Care Standards ⁴ and the HGIOS self evaluation document ⁵. Where improvements are required, the designated manager should work in partnership with the establishment management team to develop an appropriate action plan.
• The designated manager should ensure that the establishment development plan includes measures which are likely to help raise the educational attainment and achievement of children and young people, and monitor their effect as part of a general raising of attainment and achievement strategy.
• The designated manager should encourage all staff to consider what personal skills, talents, enthusiasms, etc. they can bring to enrich the educational experience of the children and young people. In support of this, the designated manager should consider the potential learning and development requirements of the staff ( e.g. outward bound courses, awareness of local cultural and leisure opportunities, etc.) and ways to encourage the involvement of the children and young people.
• The designated manager should ensure that the physical environment and the internal resources of the establishment are conducive to promoting a positive educational experience for the children and young people.

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