I’m going to college and will be first in my family to go to  university. Never expected to be saying that. 

School or college is where many young people spend much of their time. It’s not only for learning subjects — it’s where they grow, build skills, and form relationships. For education to have a positive impact, it must be a place where young people feel safe, supported, and valued.

For those with care experience, this is especially important. Their education may have been disrupted by changes in home, school, or location, and they may have faced instability or loss that affects how they feel and behave.

These experiences can lead to social,  emotional, or behavioural challenges, which are too often met with punishment instead of understanding. This can push young people further away from  learning.

By looking beyond behaviour to understand what’s driving it, and responding with patience and support, we can help them stay engaged in education and give them the best chance to thrive.

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Children, young people and families have faced an incredibly difficult time over the last few years. Behind every one of today’s statistics lies the story of a child, young person and family, struggling to get the high-quality education they are entitled to. (Fiona Duncan, Independent Strategic Advisor, The Promise)

It is well documented that care experienced school leavers continue to have bigger attainment gaps than their peers and that young people with care experience are 7 times more likely to be excluded from school than their peers (Scottish Government, 2020). There are many reasons for this with disruptive placements and lack of support for care experienced people being just a couple of them. Improving the outcomes for our care experienced young people is an issue for wider society and Government policy but there are things that can help to support our young people in education, such as:

A trauma informed approach  – Understanding trauma and how it affects our thoughts and behaviours is crucial in helping young people understand and process their own traumas.

An understanding of mental health issues  and signs to spot – to offer support and advice to young people who may be going through mental health issues that can affect their engagement in  education.

Positive relationships with teachers and  staff  – Staff that understand young people, youth culture and show that they care about their students in a way  that is positive and encouraging for young people.

Individualised learning options – Everyone learns differently, and not everyone is suited to classroom style learning, offering alternatives can removed a barrier for people.

Guidance counsellor – Who is approachable and accessible to young people throughout their time in education and who will build and maintain relationships with young people.

A safe space – for young people to go to if they are feeling overwhelmed or need  some space.

These are only suggestions, there are many things that need to change socially and culturally in our society to remove the barriers faced by care experienced young people. Still, the relationships that exist between young people and  teachers and staff can be hugely beneficial if the relationships are encouraging and supportive. Having positive role models who care and listen should be the norm for all of our young people, especially young people who may have faced difficulties and disruption in their lives, due to no fault of their own. More changes are needed to best support young people with care experience in education. However, the more than we learn and know about the context of their experiences, they better we can support them to succeed in school and beyond.

Some things you can do to better support young people in education as a professional and as an individual are:

Training – in trauma/childhood adversity and the effects this can have on young people.

Look after yourself – you will not be the best you can be if you are overworked or dealing with your own issues.

Engage parents/carers – for the agreements and evaluations for educational support of young people with care experience.

Raising aspirations – through access to high quality and inclusive educational experiences.

These are only some ideas – there are many things we can do to better support young people with care experience. Engaging the people that are directly and indirectly involved in the care of the young person will allow you to have a better understanding of them and provide an insight into the context of their experiences.

Here you can find out about educational outcomes and the plan for young people with care experience in education until 2030, as set out in the Promise.  

Here you can find a report by the Scottish government on some approaches to support young people with care experience in school.

Here you can access guidance that may be helpful and answer any questions you may have when supporting a young person with care experience through their journey.