Title: Educational pathways and outcomes for children who are looked after: a population-scale data linkage study
Funder: Health and Care Research Wales (Welsh Government)

Abstract: Research shows that care-experienced children are at a greater risk for lower educational attainment (Viner and Taylor 2005; Sebba et al. 2015; Berridge et al. 2020). More specifically, it has emerged that children who experience relatively short periods of care – and/or who experience care in early or late childhood – commonly face the most significant deficit in terms of their educational attainment compared to those with longer-term care experiences (Sebba et al. 2015). Given these findings, research is now moving towards understanding the causal mechanisms at play and identifying ‘what works’ from an educational standpoint for looked-after children (Berridge et al. 2020). Research by O’Higgins et al. (2021) identified that suspensions or exclusions from school, or being diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder could be a risk factor for poor attainment. In terms of protective factors, Sinclair et al. (2021) found that children in care academically benefitted from attending a school where educationally disadvantaged pupils are supported and prioritised. However, a significant knowledge gap remains regarding the risk and protective factors for looked-after children's educational attainment. In Wales, data capacity on looked-after children has vastly improved, and it is now possible to follow entire cohorts of children from birth until age 16. Using the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, we will access the new data and build an electronic cohort of children who were born between 1 September 2002 and 31 August 2003 to answer key questions. Our aim is to use profiling techniques to gain a more detailed, longitudinal understanding of how children move around in the care system; we will be able to identify what common patterns exist (e.g. long- term kinship care), and use these in further analysis. Second, using these new profiles we will test which characteristics (e.g. sex, local authority) predict each type of profile, and what the educational outcomes are for each profile. Lastly, we will test if child characteristics (e.g. mental health) and school aspects (e.g. suspension) modify the relationship between care profiles and educational attainment to provide information on risk and protective factors. We have planned Public Research Partner Involvem ent and Engagement (PPIE) throughout the project and will benefit from the perspective of service-users (CASCADE Voices group), teachers (HAPPEN network), and social workers or professionals (CASCADE ExChange). We also have co- ordinated an Advisory Group of academic experts, Government representatives, and also data experts in education. These groups will help ensure our research is relevant for stakeholders, defined as service-users, those working in education or children's social care, policymakers, government representatives, and anyone with an interest in the area. We aim for our findings to inform stakeholders on the modifiable individual and school-based aspects which are likely to reduce the risk of lower attainment for different types of care- experiences. To distribute our findings, we will host a main stakeholders event; we will use the ExChange network in CASCADE to maximise reach in Wales. Our intention is that the new knowledge and solutions-focused recommendations will provide an evidenc e base for effective decision-making in children’s social care and education, with the aim of improving educational outcomes for looked-after children.

Lay abstract: Numerous research studies have shown that children in care achieve lower grades at school compared to children not in care. Research also has found differences in school grades depending on the time spent in care. For example, children who stay in the same placement longer-term tend to achieve the highest grades, compared to children who experience care for a short-term, or in early or late childhood. Now we know that children in care are at risk for lower school grades, we need research that tells us how we can support children to achieve their potential, whether in care or not. Recent studies have suggested that children in care who are suspended or excluded, or have autistic spectrum disorder, are at a greater risk for lower grades. On the other hand, some children in care who attended schools that prioritise improving the educational outcomes for disadvantaged children have managed to ‘catch-up’ and achieve higher grades. Given that these research findings are encouraging, it is essential to determine how we can support the educational outcomes of children in care. To do this, we plan to use new data covering all looked after children in Wales between 2002 to 2021. This data is stored in the Secure Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank, a trusted research environment where only approved researchers can access anonymised data; no individuals can be identified in these data as personal information is anonymised. In our study, we want to answer the following questions: 1. Can we identify common patterns among children's movement in the care-system and group them to create profiles of care? And do certain characteristics predict different types of patterns e.g. sex, or residing in a particular local authority, e.g. Cardiff. 2. Are particular educational outcomes (e.g. lower school grades) associated with each different type of care pattern, and if so what are these? 3. Which aspects of looked-after children’s school experience are the highest risk factors for low educational attainment - and which factors protect against this? When conducting the research, we will include children who have experience of the care-system to give us feedback on our research at two stages. We also have included teachers, and social workers to provide feedback and help us understand our aims and findings. Alongside those in the system, we have built a team of social care experts, data experts, and Government representatives to guide and inform our project. We expect that our research will shed new light on how particular aspects of looked-after children’s varying care situations and school experiences can affect their educational attainment. We also intend to understand how making certain changes based on this new knowledge could improve their educational outcomes. We aim for our findings to support schools, social workers and others involved in caring for looked-after children to identify and implement practicable support strategies. To this end, we will ensure that our final report and research and networking event is solutions focused and specifically targets those who make decisions and deliver front-line services in the care and education of looked-after children.

Research activity codes: 2.3 PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC FACTORS
Health categories: MENTAL HEALTH;DISPUTED AETIOLOGY AND OTHER