Educating children and young people in care: Learning placements and caring schools is an another endeavour by the above authors, who have previously collaborated to improve the academic achievement of children in out-of-home care. All three authors are highly experienced in the subject. Claire Cameron is Professor of Social Pedagogy and Deputy Director of the Thomas Coram Research Unit at the Institute of Education, University of London. She has been involved in the social pedagogical model developments in the UK since it ran a pilot programme in 2008. Graham Connelly is a senior lecturer in the School of Social Work and Social Policy at the University of Strathclyde and leads the work to improve the educational outcomes of children in care at the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland. He brings a Scottish perspective to the discussions, as Scotland has engaged in supporting the educational potential of children in care by introducing a multi-disciplinary perspective that complements the social pedagogical approach. Sonia Jackson is Emeritus Professor at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, University College London and has led major ground-breaking research studies into the education of children in care. She has been an unwavering advocate in this area since her pioneering research more than a decade ago which revealed that the education of children in care had been neglected in the UK. Her study was internationally recognised and prompted the UK and other countries, including Australia, to conduct their own investigations leading to the implementation of a number of policies and programmes. Nonetheless, children in care, in general, still perform poorly world-wide. This is the backdrop in which this book has been written, with the authors presenting a new approach to improving the education issue.
The new approach gives equal weight to the care and education of children whose ‘parent’ is the state. Drawing on ideas from social pedagogy together with practice examples, the authors propose that education and care need to be considered essential to both out-of-home care placements and schools without treating them as separate entities. Social pedagogy is an approach to caring for children which combines education and care, emphasising that bringing up children is the shared responsibility of parents and society. The social pedagogical model has a broadly educational approach to social problems in that education is seen as taking place in everyday lives rather than only in designated institutions (Cameron & Moss, Reference Cameron, Moss, Cameron and Moss2011).
In this book, the authors present evidence-based arguments for the integration of care and education into daily life; and highlight that it is key to laying the foundation for children in care to realise their full potential. There are 13 chapters in which the first chapter has been aptly named ‘Bringing education into care placements and bringing care into schools’ echoing their central argument.
The chapters flow from describing the educational systems in the UK in the first chapter to legislation supporting the education of children in care in the UK in chapter 2, to highlighting the potential benefits of a range of learning activities that have been shown effective in European out-of-home care systems based on the social pedagogy model in the chapters 3–12. Middle chapters present evidence-based arguments with regard to the educational journey of children in care; for example, discussions on creating and sustaining placements conducive to learning, promoting informal education, early years education, promoting caring schools, alternatives to schooling for children who struggle with mainstream schools, retaining children in education, higher education and supporting recent migrants. The discussions highlight the potential benefits of a range of learning opportunities from bedtime stories and mentoring to extra-curricular activities such as drama and outdoor activities, whilst also discussing the needs of teachers in their role as carers.
The book discusses early childhood education and care, as well as alternatives to school and higher education, covering all aspects from birth to the age of 25 years. All chapters include key points, case studies, practice points and useful resources. In the final chapter, the authors explore three themes which have the potential to strengthen the existing strategies and enhance the educational outcomes of children in care. In the final chapter, major potential strategies are discussed to improve the education of children in care; such as developing approaches to the provision of additional support through more hybrid and flexible ‘care and support’ arrangements. In such arrangements, the expected relationship is not ‘attachment’ but commitment and practical help that requires care workers and leaving care support workers to routinely meet living and accommodation needs.
Educating children and young people in care: Learning placements and caring schools is an evidence-informed practical guide, packed with practice examples. It draws attention to a different way of thinking about education and what education means to children in care, emphasising that both survival skills and academic components need to be included in their education. The book is written in an engaging manner and is suitable for students and professionals in the fields of social work, social care, psychology and education.
