Jadynne Harvey

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(No Transcript)
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Jadynne Harvey National Policy and Research
Manager CREATE Foundation
jadynne.harvey_at_create.org.au
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History of Report Cards

• In 2000, CREATE launched its Report Card series.
  The first Education Report Card in 2001 examining
  the educational needs, participation and
  performance with subsequent releases in 2002,
  2003, 2004, and now 2006.
• The Report Card has three key components
• An abridged literature review
• A questionnaire based survey of children and
  young people in care across Australia
• A comparative analysis of jurisdictional policy
  and practice within each State/Territory

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Research Literature

• General consensus that those in care, when
  compared to their age-matched peers
• Have lower rates of high school completion,
  complete fewer years of schooling, and are less
  likely to engage in higher education
• Are less likely to score as highly on
  standardised tests, and tend to be rated less
  positively in teachers subjective summations of
  academic aptitude
• Are more likely to demonstrate behaviours that
  are considered disruptive or maladaptive within
  educational environments
• Are more likely to have previously missed school,
  and are more likely to continue to miss periods
  of school

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Report Card Surveys

• Background
• Standardised questionnaire administered to 160 to
  300 children and young people in care.
• Participants are selected through a membership
  database
• More stable
• Longer in care
• Sample based on jurisdiction size
• National sample 3.0 care population in age
  range

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Survey Findings
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2006 Data

• Compare those within compulsory school age group
  who did and did not attend school.
• Those who did not attend school in 2005
• Have spent less time in their current placement
• Have spent less time in care overall
• Have experienced more placements
• overall
• Have completed a lower grade than others
• of their age
• Have attended more high schools and
• Have been excluded more
• Supports existing research findings

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Policy and Practice Actions 2001

• Timely responses
• Assessment of educational needs, participation
  and performance of all children and young people
  within one month of being placed in out of home
  care
• six monthly reviews of individual education plans
• Participation of children and young people in
  care
• involvement of the child or young person and key
  people in their life including family, direct
  carers, teachers and other relevant educational
  personnel, statutory service providers and
  non-government service providers in assessment,
  planning and actioning plans
• Education planning
• development of individual education plans for all
  children and young people in care within two
  months of being placed in out of home care, which
  identify needs and actions required to meet these
  needs
• Information sharing and collaboration
• development of protocols for the sharing of
  information between schools and government and
  non-government service providers
• development of local area planning forums
  involving senior management to lead, resource and
  monitor these arrangements
• Comprehensive Evaluation
• development of mechanisms and processes to
  provide and monitor assessment, planning and
  review functions
• collection of relevant statistical information on
  participation and performance required at a local
  level
• review of existing programs, services and
  initiatives in each state and

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Policy and Practice Actions 2006

• Adopt appropriate goals and objectives that
  promote educational participation and performance
  of children and young people in care
• Ensure that all children and young people in care
  have an individual education plan
• Establish local or regional collaborative
  structures and processes to promote achievement
  of the goals and objectives
• Establish mechanisms that monitor, evaluate and
  review achievement of outcomes
• Establish a collaborative research agenda.

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Summary

• The educational experiences of children and young
  people in care are of ongoing concern
• Ongoing data from CREATEs Report Card series
  emphasises concerns around a lack of connection
  and continuity, manifesting in a range of
  negative indicators
• There have been developments in promoting
  cross-government approaches, a greater culture of
  evidence based practice, and more thorough data
  collection
• Further work is required to promote more
  effective approaches from Education Departments,
  and to ensure that education remains a priority
  amidst other pressures from statutory demands

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2006 Education Report Card Release

• The 2006 Report will be released on Friday
  August 18, 2006.
• Copies will be available for download at
• www.create.org.au
• Executive summaries are available at the CREATE
  stall in the foyer