Meeting Educational Needs Moving into Adoptive Placements

This guidance applies to placements made both within and outside Nottinghamshire. It also applies to children who are being placed with our own agency’s adopters as well as inter-agency placements.

Just as we should give attention to children’s health needs throughout their Looked After career, we should also give due attention to their educational needs. There is an expectation that all children in adoptive placements (pre-order) should continue to have Personal Education Plans (PEPs) which should be regularly reviewed along with their placement arrangements.

It is particularly important to give consideration to educational needs when children and young people are moving from foster care into an adoption placement. Preparations for a child’s transition to a new school are essential. Such preparations seek to avoid difficulties which may arise from the receiving school not managing the adopted child’s admission or integration. Failure to do this may cause longer term problems for the child and adoptive parent/s.

Moving into an adoptive placement is a potentially stressful experience for a child, and previous patterns of difficult behaviour may re-emerge in a child’s new school.

In general, children will usually benefit and feel more secure if they perceive themselves as being part of the school community, by being expected to follow school and class expectations. Special arrangements, particularly any that might make them stand out, should only be made for them if absolutely necessary and should have been agreed beforehand in their Education, Health and Care plan, Annual review, SEN Support Plan, Pastoral Support Plan (PSP), Personal Education Plan (PEP) or Care Plan.

The following are some ways in which we can ensure that children’s educational needs are not overlooked during this busy transitional period of their life.

When discussing a potential placement with adopters, social workers should ensure that discussions take place about:

• The child’s educational attainment and needs;
• How the adopters (with advice from social work staff) choose a school;
• How education can be supported in an adoption placement.

When all parties decide that a link is viable, the child’s social worker should contact the Virtual School without delay. This applies to all children, with or without Special Educational Needs. The Virtual School could, if necessary, liaise between schools and with social workers to enable the school transition to be as well prepared as possible.

As soon as an adoptive match has been identified for a child who has learning or behaviour difficulties which currently attract or may require support from the LEA (for any reason including an Education Health and Care Plan), workers should Work with the appropriate officers in the receiving Local Authority to ensure appropriate provision is identified and supported. Departments that have responsibility for managing funding or special education needs including special educational needs departments.

The identified Special Education Needs Officer will then liaise with colleagues in the receiving LEA (if the child/young person is moving out of Nottinghamshire) or within Nottinghamshire (if required) and there is an education health and care plan.

Consideration should be give to contact with an Education Psychologist, if the child has Special Educational Needs and difficulties are anticipated in accessing additional support when the child moves to his/her new school.

Adopters should visit potential schools to obtain a place at a school.

The Adoption Placement Report to panel must address the child’s educational achievement and potential, and clarify what arrangements have been made for the child to be admitted to a new school when they move. Any special needs should be detailed in the Adoption Support Plan. 

Potential adopters should be encouraged to visit a child’s current school (once a match has been approved), talk with school staff and look at the child’s work, to ascertain for themselves the child’s performance, achievements, potential and support needs. If the child has been in a settled bridging placement and in one school for a period of time, that school is likely to have built up expertise in handling the child which is likely to be very useful to the receiving school. Such a visit should be facilitated through the social worker.

When planning the life appreciation meeting the child’s social worker should consider inviting to the part of the meeting which addresses educational issues a teacher from the child’s current school who knows the child well.

The child’s social worker should contact the child’s new school to introduce him/herself and to give contact details in case the school should have any future concerns.