Looked after or overlooked?: good parenting and school choice for looked after children

Abstract

Despite improvements over recent years and a continued focus from government on the needs of Looked After Children (LAC), educational and other outcomes for this group are still far behind their peers. This is partly because of structural problems with the education system, and the links between education and social services, and partly because of the lack of a strong parental role to advocate on behalf of the child. Current educational reforms that aim to place greater control in the hands of parents and increase choice within the school system risk overlooking Looked After Children, or even increasing current disadvantage. This paper addresses this issue by setting out a system of financial incentives that give “corporate parents” the same power and interest in their children’s education as any other parent