Care-experienced children are missing out on vital schooling in Dumfries and Galloway – and worried councillors are calling for action.
They were shocked to read statistics in a new report which showed that looked after children-at-home pupils are missing out on 15 per cent of their time in school.
A child “looked after at home” continues to live at their normal residence following a children’s hearing intervention, but receives visits from social workers.
Meanwhile, a child looked after away from home lives in a residential care home, with a foster carer, or kinship carers.
A report tabled at the council’s education committee revealed that children-at-home pupils were missing 15 per cent of schooling.
However, the situation is even worse in Wigtown where looked after at home pupils fail to turn up for school 28 percent of the time.
Councillor Ros Surtees, vice chair of the education committee, said: “We can’t ignore the shocking statistic about the difference in the situation in Wigtown compared to other geographical areas.
“I would want to see in a future report in six months’ time what exactly is causing that because it’s not a unique geographical area in Dumfries and Galloway.
“Really I just want to be reassured that there’s going to be a focus on this statistic.”
Mid Galloway and Wigtown West Councillor Katie Hagmann said: “I just want to echo Councillor Surtees in those concerns, I think it is really important.”
The council is developing a care-experienced education team using Scottish Attainment Challenge funding totalling nearly £1.2m over the past four years.
This has equated to around £1,200 for every care-experienced pupil in the region, and the funding has primarily been used to cover additional staff costs.
These include one full-time education manager/education officer, one full-time principal teacher, three full-time teachers and one part-time inclusion teacher, all of whom have care-experience skills.
Councillors Surtees said she “hugely, hugely welcomed” the development of this team, adding: “It is absolutely a multi-agency approach that we need.”
“Therefore, we will be targeting our support workers in that locality to offer the support that’s needed for these young people, and to their carers to ensure increased attendance.”
