The following table summarises support by local authorities (Trusts in Northern Ireland) for children in care.
| Support | England | Scotland | Wales | Northern Ireland |
| Care Plan - this is the main plan; it outlines a child’s needs and how they will be met. It should include named contacts for health and support and be integrated with plans for education and health and the Pathway Plan. | Yes | Yes | Yes (Care & Support Plan) | Yes |
| Personal Education Plan (PEP) - this is the joint responsibility of the local authority and school. It is a record of what needs to happen for children to fulfil their potential and reflects any existing education plans. The PEP should set out clear objectives relating to academic achievement and out of school activities as well as other personal and, if appropriate, behavioural targets. | Yes | Yes (Personal Learning Plan) | Yes | Yes |
| Pupil Premium or equivalent – this funding should be used to provide additional support to prevent children falling behind or helping them to catch up. It should not replace any services already offered by the Local Authority or school and should be directed towards buying non-school support for learning such as additional tutoring, music lessons or learning linked to the PEP. | Yes | Care experienced children and young people fund | Pupil Development Grant | Additional allocation within Common Funding Formula |
| Pathway Plan – this explores a young person’s wishes and aspirations for the future and outlines steps to prepare the child for leaving care, ensuring relevant preparation and support is in place. It takes into account relevant information from the PEP and integrates with the child’s Care Plan. | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Head of Virtual School (or equivalent) – the core purpose of this role is to improve the educational progress and attainment of all children in care within the local authority, including those who have been placed in schools in other authorities. Visit the National Association of Virtual School Heads for more information. | Yes | In some local authorities (non-statutory) | ||
| Designated Teacher - has lead responsibility for the development and implementation of the young person’s PEP within the school and is a central point of engagement between social workers, Heads of virtual school and other stakeholders. They also have lead responsibility for helping school staff understand the things which affect how Looked After young people learn and achieve. For more information visit: http://www.education.gov.uk/aboutdfe/statutory/g00213127/looked-after-children | Yes |
The level of support young people receive from Leaving Care teams depends on their status as Care Leavers. The Sorted and Supported guide from Coram Voice gives a good indication of the level of support that a care leaver might expect. In general local authorities will only support ‘former relevant’ young people through higher education.
The local authority that last looked after the ‘former relevant’ young person must:
The regulations set the amount of the one-off higher education bursary at £2,000.
These duties continue until the former relevant young person reaches 21 or, where the young person’s Pathway Plan sets out a programme of education or training, until they are 25. If a former relevant young person aged under 25 but over 21 wishes to return or remain in education then they are entitled to a Personal Advisor, a needs assessment and a pathway plan.
The Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations Volume 3: Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers Including The Care Leavers (England Regulations 2010) outlines the support for Care Leavers and Chapter 5 (particularly 5.6 – 5.14) indicates the support available in higher education.
