The Higher Education Experiences of Young People Leaving Public Care

1
The Higher Education Experiences of Young People
Leaving Public Care

• Alex Hudson
• a.hudson_at_edu.salford.ac.uk

2
Introduction and aims

• To provide an overview of an on-going PhD
  research project exploring the higher education
  experiences of care experienced young people.
• To provide examples of relevant studies in this
  area.
• To present an overview of important policy and
  legislation.
• To briefly consider some findings to date.

3
Background

• Young people who have left public care are often
  some of the most marginalised individuals in
  society.
• These young people often face complex
  disadvantages and can be at increased risk of
  Social Exclusion (Social Exclusion Unit (SEU),
  2003 Stein, 2006).
• Most young people leave care between the ages of
  16 and 18 but this may change in light of recent
  policy direction (HM Government, 2013a).

4
Background

• Significant increase in focus in this area,
  particular since New Labours election in 1997,
  resulting in increased expenditure and monitoring
  of LAC and CL outcomes from 22,342 per LAC in
  2000/01 to 37,669 in 2009/10 (Harker, 2012).
• Policy and service provision has seen extensive
  reorganisation and focus for a number of decades.
• Despite this there are still calls for a major
  reform of the system as a whole (Barnardos et
  al., 2013).

5
Background

• Research has consistently shown that placement
  stability and continuity in care is linked to
  positive long term outcomes (Biehal and Wade
  1996 Wade 2003 Stein 2006 2008 Cameron et
  al., 2011).
• In respect of the above permanency planning
  implies that looked after children need stability
  in placement and a family they can rely on and
  where they feel included (Baker, 2007, p. 1174).
  

6
Background

• In 2011/12 15.3 of children in care obtained
  five good GCSEs - compared with 58 of all
  children (DfE, 2013).
• 36 of CLs not in education, employment or
  training (DfE, 2012a).
• 27 of the adult prison population has been in
  care, 40 of young offenders were in care as
  children (HM Inspectorate of Prisons/Youth
  Justice Board, 2011 Blades et al., 2011).
• Care experienced young people are more likely to
  experience some form of mental health problem
  (Ford et al, 2007), and two-thirds have some form
  of physical complaint (Meltzer et al, 2003).

7
Care Leavers and Social Exclusion

• Care leavers are often at increased risk of
  social exclusion (Social Exclusion Unit, 2003
  Stein, 2006).
• Particularly when issues such as sexual
  orientation, ethnicity, disability and/or
  nationality are taken into account (JRF, 2005
  Barn, 2010 Stein, 2012).
• Risk of social exclusion can be exacerbated for
  care leavers who do not possess any formal
  qualifications (Jackson and McParlin, 2006)
• a situation that can render them ill prepared
  for an increasingly competitive labour market
  (Stein, 2004, p. 35).

8
Education and Employment

• Poor educational attainment can have a lasting
  effect upon the employment prospects of young
  care leavers.
• As a result care leavers often spend prolonged
  periods dependent upon state welfare (NCAS,
  2010).
• At particular risk of long term disengagement
  with the labour market are young care leavers
  with mental health problems and/or emotional and
  behavioural difficulties (Wade and Dixon, 2006).
• Promoting the education and employment pathways
  of care leavers is complex given their
  experiences.

9
Education and Inclusion

• Educational achievement is increasingly a
  prerequisite in modern society for financial
  security and accomplishment in later life
  (Berridge and Saunders, 2009, p. 327).
• Research has consistently shown that low
  educational attainment can have a lasting effect
  upon the lives of care leavers (Jackson, 1987
  Biehal et al., 1995 Berlin et al., 2011)
• The reasons for educational underachievement are
  complex and require a life course view of
  children and young people in and leaving care
  these include an exploration of pre and in care
  experiences, quality of care, placement
  stability, focus on aspirations and achievements
  (Stein, 2012).

10
Care Leavers in Higher Education

• In 2003 the Social Exclusion Unit reported that
  just 1 of 18-year-old care leavers went on to
  participate in higher education.
• In 2011 6 of care leavers aged 19 entered Higher
  Education compared with over 40 of the general
  population of 19 year olds (NCAS, 2011).
• Research conducted by The HE Academy (2012) found
  around a third of care leaver students failed to
  progress to the subsequent academic year,
  compared with the national average of 5.7 (HESA,
  2013).

11
Policy

• Widen participation so that more people from care
  backgrounds have the opportunity to participate
  in higher education (DfES, 2006a).
• Young people from care backgrounds should aspire
  to attend university with an additional 2,000
  bursary for participation in higher education
  (DfES, 2006b DfES, 2007).
• AimHigher - Children in Care/Care Leavers should
  be targeted, a clear route to progress through to
  higher education (HEFCE, 2008)

12
Legislation

• The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000
• Put the needs of care leavers on the statute
  books
• Placed duties upon LAs to meet those needs.
• LAs responsible for assistance with gaining
  education and training opportunities.
• The Children and Young Persons Act 2008
• LAs to provide a Higher Education bursary of
  2000
• Provide a statutory review before leaving care.
• Provision of a personal advisor up to the age of
  25 for care leavers who return to education or
  training

13
The Coalition

• Care Leaver Strategy (HM Government, 2013b, p.5).
• CLs should expect the same level of care and
  support as other YP
• Commitment to remove some of the barriers that
  CLs face
• Holistic and quality support provided in all
  specialist services
• Services that treat care leavers with respect and
  dignity
• Care leavers' charter (DfE, 2012b).
• Continue to care for you even when we are no
  longer caring for you.
• Make it our responsibility to understand your
  needs
• Work together with the services you need,
  including housing (and) benefitsto help you
  establish yourself as an independent individual
• Empower you to be the driver of your life and not
  the passenger.
• We will point you in a positive direction and
  journey alongside you at your pace.

14
YiPPEE (Jackson and Cameron, 2011)

• Find out how more YP who have spent all or part
  of their childhood in care can be encouraged and
  enabled to remain in education after the end of
  compulsory schooling and go on to study at higher
  levels.
• Consider how their opportunities to access
  further and higher education might be improved
• Five EU countries England (Coordinator),
  Denmark, Sweden, Hungary and Spain.
• Identified a number of barriers and facilitating
  factors in successful educational pathways for
  CLs

15
YiPPEE Facilitating Factors

• Stability of placement
• Having a stable key adult in their lives
• Prioritising of education in their foster care
• Carers high involvement in education
• Carers high expectations of education
• Inclusion in a group of friends outside the
  protection system
• Participation in normal leisure-time
  activities
• Their opinion being listened to and taken into
  account, particularly in relation to their
  preference regarding where to continue studying.

16
Aim and Objectives

• To explore the significance of resilience
  alongside the concepts of social and cultural
  capital in relation to the lived experience of
  care leavers accessing and engaging in Higher
  Education.
• To consider and explore-
• the in care experiences of care leavers
• the educational pathways of care leavers
• the lived experience of care leavers accessing
  and engaging in HE
• if care leavers face barriers to their HE in
  respect of their history and experiences and
• the significance of the social networks of care
  leavers in HE, and how these may change over
  time.

17
Theoretical context

• Cultural Capital
• Familial transmission
• Supportive of education
• Promotion of culture
• Extracurricular activities
• Leisure activities

• Social Capital
• Social Networks
• Family Networks
• Community
• Norms
• Trust

(Bourdieu, 1986, 1977 Coleman, 1988 Putnam,
1993, 2000)
18
Theoretical context

• Resilience
• the quality that enables some young people to
  find fulfilment in their lives despite their
  disadvantaged backgrounds, the problems or
  adversity they may have undergone or the
  pressures they may experience (Stein, 2012, p.
  165).
• Strong social support networks.
• At least one supportive parent or substitute.
• Positive educational experience.
• Engagement in extra-curricular activities.
• A committed mentor or adult influence from
  outside the family (Newman and Blackburn, 2002,
  p. 11).

19
Proposed Unified Conceptual Framework
Successful Educational Pathway
20
Methodology

• QLR
• Experience is temporally situated
• Change over time as data
• What happens next and why?
• Experiences viewed as a movie rather than a
  snapshot

• Narrative
• Storytelling
• Recount experiences
• Convey meaning
• Define identities
• Place within communities
• Can illuminate on lived realities

(Riessman, 1993, 2005, 2008 Saldana, 2003
McLeod and Thomson, 2009 Neale, Henwood and
Holland, 2012).
21
Methods

• Unstructured interviews and cumulative diary
  blog data.
• Thematic narrative analysis.
• The combination of methodology and chosen
  methods will hopefully enable me to story a
  set period of time in the lives on care
  experienced young peoples experiences of higher
  education.

22
(very) Preliminary Findings

• Barriers to HE from families and professionals.
• The importance of a strong base.
• Ties to birth family or Local Authority as a
  positive in some cases, negative in others.
• 2 types getting along and game changers.
• Highly emotive area that requires researcher
  resilience and reflexivity.

23
Concluding remarks

• Difficult to understand the needs of care leavers
  without first exploring issues around the
  pre-care and in-care experience.
• LAC experience increased risk of disadvantage,
  social exclusion and poor outcomes.
• Care Leavers seen as a particularly vulnerable
  group.
• Care Leavers require significant support in the
  transition to adulthood and independent living.
• Rapidly evolving area of policy and practice.

24
Questions.
25
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