The Learning with Care report (HMI and SWSI, 2001) made seven criticisms in relation to the provision of education for looked after children in Scotland. The most recent report, Looked After Children and Young People: We can and must do better (Scottish Executive, 2007), contains 19 actions for improvement. Graham Connelly and Mono Chakrabarti examine whether the distinctiveness of the Scottish political landscape has the potential to lead to improvements in tackling the deficits in the educational experience and attainment of looked after children and young people clearly acknowledged by the authors of both reports. Their article considers the recent history of political concern and asks whether things are getting better, concluding that while there is only limited improvement, the climate is more supportive and more emphatic in its expectations of the young people and the professionals who support them.
AldgateJMcIntoshM, Looking After the Family: A study of children looked after in kinship care in Scotland, Edinburgh: Social Work Inspection Agency, 2006; available online at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/06/07132800/0.
3.
BorlandMPearsonCHillMBloomfieldI, Education and Care Away from Home: A review of policy, practice and research, Edinburgh: Scottish Council for Research in Education, 1998.
4.
BullockRLittleMMillhamS, Going Home: The return of children separated from their families, Aldershot: Dartmouth Publishing Company, 1993.
5.
ConnellyG, ‘Developing quality indicators for learning with care’, Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care2:2, pp 69–78, 2003.
FrancisJThomsonG O BMillsS, The Quality of the Educational Experience of Children in Care, Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh, 1996.
9.
FurnivallJHudsonB, ‘The learning with care training materials’, Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care2:2, pp 63–68, 2003.
10.
HapperHMcCreadieJAldgateJ, Celebrating Success: What helps looked after children succeed, Edinburgh: Social Work Inspection Agency, 2006; available online at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/06/07121906/0.
11.
HareABullockR, ‘Dispelling misconceptions about looked after children’, Adoption & Fostering30:4, pp 26–35, 2006.
12.
HMI (Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools) and SWSI (Social Work Services Inspectorate), Learning with Care: The education of children looked after away from home by local authorities, Edinburgh: HMI/SWSI, 2001; available online at www.scotland.gov.uk/library3/education/lacr-00.asp.
13.
KeatingMCairneyP, ‘A new elite? Politicians and civil servants in Scotland after devolution’, Parliamentary Affairs59:1, pp 43–59, 2006.
14.
MacleanKGunionM, ‘Learning with care: the education of children looked after away from home by local authorities’, Adoption & Fostering27:2, pp 20–31, 2003.
O'HaganP, A Different Class? Educational attainment: the views and experiences of looked after young people, Glasgow: Who Cares? Scotland, 2003; available online at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/10/20118/45456.
17.
RaabGDavidsonK, Distribution of Further Education in Scotland, Edinburgh: Scottish Executive Education Department, 1998.
SergeantH, Handle with Care: An investigation into the care system, London: Centre for Young Policy Studies, 2006.
26.
Social Work Inspection Agency, Extraordinary Lives: Creating a positive future for looked after children and young people in Scotland, Edinburgh: SWIA, 2006; available online at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/08/07134204/0.
27.
VincentS, Looking After Children in Scotland: Good parenting, good outcomes: Report on file audit of local authorities' use of looking after children materials, Edinburgh: Scottish Executive, 2004; available online at www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/06/19439/38253.
