Member News from The Foster Care Co-operative: 16+Funding for Looked After Children

The UK Government has a pilot grant project to provide additional funding for looked-after children and care leavers at post-16.  

An additional £5 million has been made available to selected Local Authorities in England for the 2022-23 school year. Funds are there for schools to provide support for educational interventions, tuition or anything else that may be required to achieve the best possible outcomes.

What is Pupil Premium Plus (PP+)
At the heart of UK education policy is the mandate for every child to achieve their potential and enjoy learning – however, evidence shows that children from disadvantaged backgrounds face more difficulties in reaching their full potential at school. Pupil Premium (PP) and Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) are funding initiatives introduced to target disadvantaged pupils and level up the playing field. 

Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) Funding
Virtual School Heads currently receive Pupil Premium Plus (PP+) funding of £2,410 per child in care, aged 4 to 15 (foster care or other care options). This is used to provide individual support that a child needs, as identified in their Personal Education Plan (PEP). This funding usually ceases when the child reaches the age of 16. Young people are then entitled to a bursary which is paid directly into their bank accounts which is usually used to fund travel expenses, food and resources for college.

Find out more about Pupil Premium HERE

Information on How to Spend PP+ HERE

However, since September 2022 the government have provided a grant piloting additional funding for post-16 looked-after children and care leavers to a selection of local authorities. The extension runs until July 2023 and the total funding available for this period is £5m. This funding provides support in a similar way to how PP+ is used in schools to fund interventions, tuition or anything else that is required to achieve the best possible outcomes.

Read the Department for Education PP+ Grant Determination Letter HERE

Local Authorities participating in the pilot…
Some of the Local Authorities include: Birmingham, Bradford, Bromley, Bury, Central Bedfordshire, Darlington, Derbyshire, Dudley, Gloucestershire, Hartlepool, Kirklees, Leeds, Lincolnshire, Liverpool, Manchester, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Oxfordshire; Rochdale, Rotherham, Sheffield, Staffordshire,  Trafford, Wirral, Worcestershire.

If your foster children are looked after by any of these Local Authorities, and they currently attend sixth form or college, do check to see if there is opportunity to make use of the additional PP+ funding especially where you can see that there would be a real benefit for their future success.

Help From Our Education Specialist
Here at The Foster Care Co-operative we have our very own Education Specialist providing support to our Foster Carers in England and Wales. 

Part of the role is to liaise with Local Authorities, schools, colleges and virtual schools as and when needed.

As an Education Specialist and Foster Carer Roxanne is in a unique position to provide help and support.  She was an English teacher in secondary schools for 8 years, is an AQA GCSE English Language examiner and also a foster carer. 

“I track the attendance and attainment of our looked after children and young people. I also attend PEP & EHCP reviews, provide training both virtually and at foster carer support groups and provide advice and guidance via phone and email.”

Source:
www.fostercarecooperative.co.uk

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