Three new measures to improve the educational experience of some of Scotland's most vulnerable children and young people have been launched today.
Commenting that the status quo is not good enough for Scotland's looked after children, Children's Minister Adam Ingram, said these new measures go some way to making sure Scotland's 14,000 looked after children get access to the very best services and support to help them have the positive futures they deserve.
The launch follows publication of 'These Are Our Bairns' - the first document in Scotland to set out the role and responsibilities of everyone who are responsible for our looked after children earlier this month.
The measures launched today are:
* Innovative new training materials to support everyone who works with and cares for looked after children. These include a hard-hitting and sometimes disturbing DVD which portrays one young person's journey through the system
* An outline of the core tasks for designated managers in educational and residential child care establishments in Scotland to make sure that each establishment has a key individual to champion the needs of looked after children and young people and see that services meet their needs
* The final report from national research into the Scottish Government's programme of local authority pilots which have developed new ways to improve the educational attainment and achievement of looked after children and young people. These included flexiable teaching, homework, and exam support, transition spport and training, and the research provides valuable evidence of what works from which we can all learn
Mr Ingram said:
"We have a responsibility to make sure all of our children and young people have the same chances in life.
"This Government wants to make sure all corporate parents have the right tools to do their job to the very best of their ability. That's why today we have launched a comprehensive training package for everyone who works with and cares for looked after children.
"We have also issued guidance to clarify the roles of senior managers to support the educational needs of children in care and we are publishing research into local authority pilot programmes looking at a variety of ways to achieve this.
"These three measures will work alongside the corporate parenting guidance published earlier this month, and will help all of our looked after children and young people and care leavers lead the lives that they aspire to - to be happy, successful, confident individuals with a positive future."
The term 'looked after' refers to children who live with foster or kinship carers, in residential schools or care homes or who live in secure units. It also includes children subject to a supervision order from a Children's Hearing but living at home with their birth parents or other family members.
