going to university from care
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Going to University from Care
Sonia JacksonThomas Coram Research Unit
Institute of Education University of London
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• I would advise anyone to go to university. It’s fun for starters…
• It just broadens your horizons – opens your eyes to what’s going on around you
• It gave me a different perspective on my life
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Three questions
• Why do so few children in care go to university?
• Why does it matter?
• What can the By Degrees research tell us about what helps and what gets in the way?
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Outcomes in and after care
• 50% not in education, training or employment aged 19.
• 80% unemployed 2 years after leaving care• 70% have mental health problems• 30% homeless and 50% young offenders have
been in care• High level of substance misuse/addictions• Early parenthood at least 3 times more likely
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Wider benefits of learning
Each step up the educational ladder leads to improvements in quality of adult life
lifelong learning resilience self-efficacy mental and physical health family and parenting civic engagement respect for law absence of addictionEvidence from British Birth Cohort Studies
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Educational attainment of Looked After Children in
England 2005
In care All children
1 GCSE A-G 60% 96%
5 GCSEs A-G 41% 89%
5 GCSEs A*-C 9% 56%
Further education18% 78%
University 1% 43%
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The UK Policy Context
• 1998 Quality Protects
• 2000 Joint Ed/Dept of Health Guidance
• 2001 Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000
• 2003 Social Exclusion Report ‘A Better Education for Children in Care’
• 2004 Children Act
• 2005 Children’s Services Departments report to Dept. for Education and Skills
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The ‘By Degrees’ Project- from Care to University
• Three cohorts tracked over four years
• Total research sample: 129 students
• Surveys of local authorities and HEIs
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Aims of the project• Increase participation
• Improve retention and completion
• Help LAs fulfil obligations as corporate parents
• Raise awareness among higher education institutions
• Use findings to influence policy and practice
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Reasons for care
0
510
15
20
2530
35
Men
tal il
lnes
s of
par
ent
Physic
al illne
ss o
f par
ent
Paren
t add
iction
Death
of p
aren
t(s)
Sexua
l abu
se
Physic
al and
em
otio
nal a
buse
Family
bre
akdow
n
Unacc
ompa
nied to
UK
Self-r
efer
ral
Oth
er
Per
cen
tag
e
Cohort 2
Cohort 3
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Participants: ethnicity
48%
5%
30%
9%
8% White British
Mixed
Black or BlackBritish
Asian or AsianBritish
Other
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Outcomes after one year
Cohort 2Cohort 1 Cohort 3
On course
Changed course oruniversity
Failed first year
Left course
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What have we learnt?
• Children in care can go to university and succeed
• Participants attended 68 different HEIs
• Low drop-out if adequate support
• Stable foster care is a key resource
• Residential care doesn’t help
• Care leavers must have legal right to financial help and advice
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Some recommendations
• Placements shd offer educational environment
• Planning for uni must start early
• Specialist foster carers for education
• Written contracts for students Extended foster and residential care
• Widening participation initiatives target LAC and care leavers
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Where are we one year after the project ended?
• 6% care leavers now going to university• Project team produced advice booklets for
practitioners and young people (Who Cares? Trust)
• Frank Buttle Trust Quality Mark for higher education institutions launched June 2006
• Tick box to be introduced on university application form
• Government makes education top priority in new strategy for children in out-of-home care
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‘By Degrees’ at the House of Lords
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