Committee: EDUCATION, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND LIFELONG LEARNING SELECT COMMITTEE
Date: 12
AUGUST 2002
Title: TRANSPORT TO & FROM SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN
IN PUBLIC CARE - (AMENDMENT TO ‘ARRANGEMENTS FOR HOME TO SCHOOL AND SPECIALLY
PROVIDED TRANSPORT).
REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
_________________________________________________________________________________
All Councils have, through legislation, a responsibility to meet their Corporate Parenting Responsibilities in relation to Children in Public Care.
This proposal sets out to support
Children in Public Care, to maintain their school placement and exercise choice
over the school they would wish to attend. The Directorates of Education &
Community Development and Social Services & Housing will work in
partnership by sharing the costs of transport to school where children fall
outside the normal transport policy.
1. The Council has a
corporate responsibility to ensure children who are in their care gain maximum
opportunity from education in order to improve their life chances. The DfES have agreed targets outlined in the
Quality Protects Management Action Plan (Social Services) and in the Education
Development Plan (LEA).
2. Children in Public Care
are some of the most vulnerable children in society. Research has shown that they perform poorly in comparison with
peers of similar ability, who are not in the care system. Stability of Educational placement is a key
factor in improving their standards of attainment.
3. Children in the public
care system frequently change schools through no fault of their own, (although
the majority attend their local school).
This may be due to family or foster care breakdown. This may then lead to a change of school and
discontinuity of education. It also
means that friends and relationships may also be lost and they have to learn
new systems and routines as well as get to know new children and teachers.
PROPOSAL
4. The Directorates of
Education & Community Development, and Social Services & Housing,
propose to share the cost of Home to School Transport (Bus Pass only costs) on
a 50:50 basis in order to reduce the need for a transfer of school, unless this
is considered appropriate; also to enable children to make a positive choice of
school where, in other circumstances, the cost of transport would be borne by
their parents, and the travel arrangements do not fall within the existing
transport policy.
5. This arrangement does
not apply to transport costs incurred as a consequence of living within two
miles of a Primary School and three miles of a Middle or High School. If the distance is under two or three miles
respectively, the normal Travel Arrangements Policy applies.
KEY REASONS
·
The child does not meet the existing criteria for a bus pass
through the Education Directorate’s Transport Policy.
·
The current foster placement the child is in requires that
they need assisted travel through provision of a bus pass to continue in school.
·
The child has had to change school in order to meet their
identified needs, which are specified in their Care Plan, LAC Review or
Personal Education Plan.
PRACTICE
7. The named Social Worker
for the child, with their Team Manager’s approval, will contact the Education
Co-ordinator for Looked After Children with the relevant details and
documentation, who in turn will liase with the Senior Administrative Officer
(Admissions and Transport) to arrange the Bus Pass.
8. The Education
Directorate will invoice the appropriate Social Work Team for 50% of the cost
of the Bus Pass from the fostering budget.
9. As stated previously, in most cases, children and young
people attend their local priority schools and their transport needs fall
within the existing Transport Policy.
10. Implementation of this
proposal will lead to some shared costs between the Directorates. As this will be on an agreed planned basis,
rather than as a reactive strategy, it will mean that children’s educational
needs will be given priority and this will reduce confusion as to which
directorate is responsible for funding the arrangements.
11. Data for the forthcoming
academic year, 2002/3 indicates there are 12 children who would be eligible
under these arrangements from in total, a ‘looked after’ population of
approximately 175. This would incur
additional costs, at today’s prices, of £4,560.
12. Whilst the circumstances
of children in public care can change fairly rapidly, there is no reason to
assume that the numbers involved through this proposal could exceed 25 in any
one year, based on current information.
·
To recommend this amendment be approved by the Executive.
None.
ALAN
KAYE
Strategic
Director of Education and Community Development