Personal Education Plan

Child Looked After

Child may choose not to attend but their views and wishes will be shared by the person they choose to be their Named Adult. Immediately after the PEP Meeting their Named Adult will share age-appropriate feedback with the Child.

Core Network

• Social Worker
• School Named Contact
• Carer(s)
• Parent(s)

Wider Network

• Teacher/Key Adult
• Therapeutic Practitioner
• Educational Psychologist
• SEN Link Officer
• VOYPIC
• Primary Children Looked After Advisory Service
• Other relevant representatives

Contribute through Core Network or invited to attend as appropriate.

• Upon notification from Social Worker of Child becoming Looked After, Social Worker and School Named Contact agree date and arrangements for PEP Profiles Meeting. This meeting is to take place within one week of Child becoming Looked After.
• In preparation for PEP Profiles Meeting, School Named Contact completes Education Profile.
• School Named Contact alongside Social Worker will hold PEP Profiles Meeting and
  • Confirm who the Child has chosen as their Named Adult.
  • Complete Key Child Profile.
  • Agree members of Core Network Around the Child
  • Confirm date, venue, and time of PEP Meeting.
• PEP Meeting to be held within four weeks of Child becoming Looked After. School Named Contact invites other wider network Education Professionals and one week prior to PEP Meeting, share completed Profiles with these invitees, if appropriate.
• If School Named Contact nominated by child as their Named Adult, School Named Contact and Child discuss wishes and feelings and consider how these will be shared at PEP Meeting.
• PEP Meeting is chaired by School Named Contact. Please see PEP themes for suggestions of areas of consideration during a PEP Meeting.
• During the meeting, School Named Contact and Core Network to agree date for next PEP Review.
• Within two weeks of PEP Meeting, School Named Contact circulates final PEP to the Social Worker and any EA named contributors. Social Worker will then circulate the PEP to parents/carers and any other named Health & Social Care contributors.
• School Named Contact to update and circulate copy of updated Education Profile and Key Child Profile to Social Worker and invitees, if appropriate, one week prior to PEP Review Meeting. Please note support is available from your allocated Assistant Advisory Officer with PEP Profile completion.
• Should a concern or change of circumstance arise, School Named Contact to notify Social Worker and request an additional significant PEP Meeting be convened.

• Social Worker notifies the School Named Contact immediately of the child becoming Looked After and issues CLA1 form to the School and Education Authority.
• Social Worker agrees date and arrangements for PEP Profiles Meeting with School Named Contact. This meeting is to take place within one week of Child becoming Looked After.
• In preparation for PEP Profiles Meeting, Social Worker completes Social Care Profile.
• Social Worker alongside School Named Contact will hold PEP Profiles Meeting and
  • Confirm who the Child has chosen as their Named Adult.
  • Complete Key Child Profile.
  • Agree members of Core Network Around the Child
  • Confirm date, venue, and time of PEP meeting.
• PEP Meeting to be held within four weeks of Child becoming Looked After. Social Worker invites Parents, Carers, and other wider network Professionals, and one week prior to PEP Meeting, shares completed Profiles with these invitees, if appropriate.
• If Social Worker is nominated by child as their Named Adult, Social Worker and Child discuss wishes and feelings and consider how these will be shared at PEP Meeting.
• PEP Meeting is chaired by School Named Contact. Agreed actions are recorded by Social Worker.
• During Profiles meeting, Social Worker and Core Network agree date for next PEP review.
• Within two weeks of PEP Meeting, School Named Contact circulates final PEP to the Social Worker and any EA named contributors. Social Worker will then circulate the PEP to parents/carers and any other named Health & Social Care contributors.
• Social Worker to update and circulate copy of updated Social Care Profile and Key Child Profile to School Named Contact and invitees, if appropriate, one week prior to PEP Review Meeting.
• Should a concern or change of circumstance arise, Social Worker to notify School Named Contact and request an additional significant PEP Meeting be convened.

Care Arrangements

(Home/school collaboration/communication/consistency. Confirmation of Core Network around the Child)

• Social Worker to ensure primary school are provided with a copy of CLA1.
• Where is the child living? What is the child’s legal care status? (Social Care Profile should include all key details)
• Is the child due to move address any time soon? If so, how will this impact the child’s ability to attend school?
• Who has parental responsibility?
• Is there delegated authority? (See Glossary of terms frequently used with Children Looked After)
• Please note, documents that must be signed by those with parental responsibility need to be signed by the Social Worker, and/or birth parent.
• Is there any planned change of Social Worker soon? If so, please update the school ASAP with new Social Worker details and keep school up to date on Senior Social Worker details.
• Family Time Arrangements? (Social Care Profile provides details of dates and times. Are Family Time arrangements positive for the child? Is Family Time consistent and regular? For example, if Family Time is scheduled weekly on a Tuesday make school aware of these arrangements so that school can monitor child’s presentation and mood on the day before, day of, and day after Family Time.
• If Family Time Arrangements are not set on a specific day or time, and are potentially inconsistent, how is this planned and organised by Trust? Please be mindful that changes to Family Time Arrangements should not be communicated to the child whilst they are at school, unless unavoidable.
• What is the child’s birth parent’s involvement in child’s education? Invited to meetings? Sent school reports? Does Social Worker relay information and reports to parents?
• Are there any restrictions on who can have access to the child? Is there any possibility that parents could show up to school unexpectedly, e.g., school events? What should school do/who should school contact if this were to happen?
• Will the carers/ child’s physical health needs impact their ability to attend school/ engage in learning?
• Who is the ‘Core Network’ Around the Child’? Does the child have a key adult? How will the child’s relationship with their Key Adult be developed, e.g., through the facilitation of ‘protected time’?
• Are Trust Therapeutic Support Services involved with the child? Social Worker should ensure primary representative is invited to future therapeutic consultations, as these meetings can be invaluable for providing even further understanding and advice regarding the child.
• Review PEP Meeting should, unless there is a significant issue, be held in October and February.

Educational Arrangements

(Appropriate endings and making new connections)

• What does the child’s Educational Placement History look like?
• Referencing information recorded in Education Profile -
  • Is additional support required with school attendance?
  • have any underlying issues that might be impacting on attendance or punctuality been identified and how are they being addressed?
  • Is the child performing in line with their academic ability, if not how can additional needs be best supported?
• Are there any times in the school day which the child finds difficult? How does the child manage changes and transitions during the school day? What support is required?
• Are all clear on travel arrangements? How does the child get to and from school? Is this working well?
• Does the child find having a transitional object, such as a note in lunchbox from carer, helpful?

Emotional Health & Wellbeing

(Regulation, Relate & Recovery)

If the child is receiving additional therapeutic support, such as Occupational Therapy, the Social Worker should share any advice offered by these services.

• How does the child normally present in school?
• How is the child presenting at home? Are there times of the day that are more difficult for the child, e.g., times of transition like at the end of the school day?
• Are there any other factors impacting upon the child’s emotional wellbeing and presentation, e.g., concerns about birth family.
• From what you know of the child’s adverse childhood experiences and presentation, what is your best guess at the child’s attachment style (see Key Child Profile)? How does this translate/manifest in school, e.g., does the child need more support with dealing with difficult emotions, or do they need more support coping with times where a teacher/CA is not directly working with them?

• What are the triggers for dysregulation? Are there certain early childhood experiences that the child continues to have difficulty coping with?
• What do early signs of dysregulation (heightened behaviours, anxieties, stress) look like? Key Adult & child could work on a subtle signal that child can use to signal that they need help and support.
• What strategies really work well for the child? (i.e.: movement breaks/ fidget toys/ music via headphones).
• Are there Pupil’s Attitudes to Self & School (PASS) scores available? What areas of strength and areas of concern do the scores highlight?
• How will the child respond to any lessons focused on family? How can we support and prepare the child for such lessons, or adapt lessons if necessary?
• Does the child have access to a Trauma and Attachment Informed Space (TIS) and Calm Box in school?
• How does the child access this space/Calm Box? Do staff feel confident in supporting the child to use their TIS/Calm Box to regulate?
• Does the child have access to a similar space/Calm Box at home?

For additional information on the use and effectiveness of a TIS during the PEP process please liaise with the Assistant Advisory Officer allocated to your school.

Learn & Achieve

(Helping children settle to learn)

• Does the child have the IT resources he/she requires for homework?
• Is the child achieving in line with their ability? If not, what additional measures can be put in place to support learning?
• Does the child have a Statement of Special Educational Needs? If so, what does the support provision look like?
• What are the child’s skills and interests? How can these continue to be nurtured

Play & Leisure

(Sense of belonging and building relationships with the school community)

• What are the young person’s interests/ hobbies? Are there any clubs within the school that would interest the child?
• Is there support in place for those children who struggle with break and lunchtimes?
• Are there other agencies providing social support to the child e.g., Extern, VOYPIC?

One of the keys ways to support your Child Looked After within the school environment is using a Trauma and Attachment Space (TIS). The PEP (Personal Education Plan) meeting is a useful time to think about how the space is working for your child.

Setting up and implementing a space effectively can be challenging and input from the Core Network Around the Child can help ensure that the space is tailored to effectively support each individual child. Below are some points to consider within the PEP:

• Was the space set up with this individual child in mind? Did the child help select the items used in the space / calm box? This is important as the more individual the space / calm box is to the child the more they will hopefully feel ownership and connection to it.
• Have staff informally observed the child throughout the day to see how they attempt to regulate themselves? E.g., during play time or unstructured time with peers. These observations can help inform what items / strategies may be helpful to support the child’s regulation. Observations from home are also very useful.
• Is anyone observing how the child uses the space / calm box or at what times the space is most useful for the child?
• Is there any monitoring of how much / how the child uses the space / calm box? This can help assess if the space / calm box is working for the child and allow patterns to be noticed e.g., do they use it more coming up to holiday / when family time is not going well etc.
• Does the core network feel that the space / calm box is not working for the child? If so, what might be the reasons for this? Staff confidence in use? Inappropriate items? Lack of space / time? Attitudes towards the space / calm box?
• Have carers had an opportunity to see the space / calm box? Do they use anything similar at home? Can they give any advice on what regulates their child?
• Does the child spend time with their Key Adult in the space or with their box? How does this work? Do Key Adults feel confident in supporting the child at these times?
• How will you manage the space / calm box at times of transition? Can the child take them home over the holiday? How will you ensure the child continues to have access as they move up through the school year groups?
• How will you continue to financially support the space / calm box? Have you set aside the Common Funding Formula Allocation to ensure that funds are available?
• Does the school ethos actively support the successful implementation and use of the space / calm box? Are all staff aware of its purpose and support its use? If not, how can we work towards changing this? What are the barriers?

Care Order     

A Care Order is granted by the Family Court and gives the local Health and Social Care Trust (HSCT) the power to place the child in care.       

When a child is the subject of a Care Order, the Trust share parental responsibility for them with their birth parents and will jointly make decisions about the child's care, such as where they will live and what school they will attend.

Care Plan       

A Care Plan is a document that sets out the care arrangements for a child, including education, health, activities, family time arrangements, etc. The child’s Care Plan is discussed and updated at each LAC Review meeting. The Care Plan should inform the child’s Personal Education Plan (PEP) and vice versa.

In order that effective PEP and Care Plans can be created to best support the individual child, information should be shared with and by the school which helps to build a holistic picture of the child’s current needs and how these are impacting them in school.

Child Looked After (Formally “Looked After Child”)

A child under the age of 18 who is looked after by the Health and Social Care Trust (HSCT), either because they are the subject of a Care Order or because they are accommodated through a voluntary agreement with their parents.      The school should know the legal status of the child and have access to all information which would be pertinent in helping to best support them in school.

CLA1- Notification of Becoming Looked After and Subsequent Changes

Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs) will notify school principals, EA and other relevant agencies when a child becomes looked after by issuing the form, “CLA1- Notification of Becoming Looked After and Subsequent Changes.”

The CLA1 is sent by the Trust to the school, EA and other relevant agencies no later than 14 days after a child becomes looked after. The child’s Social Worker will advise the school of the child’s change of circumstances, such as where they are placed and the name of the contact social worker. Good practice highlights the need for the social worker to be in contact with the school very soon after placement and regularly thereafter. The purpose of this contact is to monitor progress and ensure that the child is supported as fully as possible. Following receipt of the CLA1, the school should record that the child has become looked after on the School Information Management System (SIMS).

Corporate Parent       

This refers to the Health and Social Care Trust (HSCT) who have ultimate responsibility for the Child Looked-After.

Co-worker      

A member of staff within a residential setting who acts as a backup to the Key Worker (see below).

Schools should keep a record of the contact details of the Co-worker. Co-workers do not hold Parental Responsibility.

Delegated Authority 

Delegated Authority is the passing of responsibility for making day-to-day decisions about a child (e.g., school trips, haircuts, overnight stays, etc) to a person other than a social worker. This decision is ratified by agreement at a LAC Review meeting.

The school should be aware of who holds Delegated Authority and what areas of responsibility have been delegated to the Foster Carer/Kinship Carer (e.g., consent for school trips, photographs, etc). This information will be recorded in the child’s Social Care Profile and should be reviewed at each PEP meeting. School staff should consider the responsibilities that have been delegated to the foster carer, which may include the ability to sign consent forms for activities, etc. Furthermore, school staff should be aware that not all responsibilities may have been delegated (e.g., consent for trips abroad).

Emergency Protection Order

An Emergency Protection Order (EPO) is an urgent court order that sanctions the instant removal of a child from their family home. An EPO is granted when it is considered that a child is in immediate need of protection from significant harm or risk of significant harm and cannot stay at their current home with their parents/ guardian for their own safety.

The Trust do not have the power to remove a child from their home environment without a court hearing and a judge ruling this decision as being the best course of action. An ‘EPO’ is only granted if a child’s safety has been compromised or is at serious risk of being compromised at home. If granted, the Trust will share parental responsibility with the child’s birth parents. An EPO is only granted for 8 days and can be extended for a further 7 days if deemed absolutely necessary.

Family Time (formerly known as “Contact”)

Agreed meetings/visits between the Child Looked-After and their birth family and/or friends. This may be supervised or unsupervised.

The child’s Social Care Profile will provide details of Family Time arrangements. The school should be cognisant of the emotional impact, either positive or negative, of Family Time on the child and record their observations of this in the child’s Social Care Profile.

Foster Care    

This refers to care that takes place in a family environment in a private home, where the carer is not related to the child. Foster Care could be arranged and managed by the HSCT or by an independent fostering provider.        

The contact details of the foster carer will be recorded in the child’s Social Care Profile and should be reviewed at each PEP meeting. Foster carers do not hold Parental Responsibility.

Guardian Ad Litem (GAL)      

When a Care Order is being sought, a Guardian Ad Litem is always appointed by the court from the Guardian Ad Litem agency. Also known as “guardians,” they represent the views and best interests of the child in court proceedings.  

Schools should be aware of:

• the role of the Guardian Ad Litem;
• how the Guardian Ad Litem can support the child’s views, wishes and feelings.

Interim Care Order    

This is an Order that is granted at the first hearing after care proceedings have been issued. An Interim Care Order can last for up to 8 weeks and can be renewed every 4 weeks thereafter. The Order can only be granted if the court feels there is valid reason to believe that a child may be at serious risk of harm, and it gives time to gather more details about the child’s welfare.

Key Worker (KW)      

A named member of staff within a residential setting who looks after the day-to-day care arrangements for a child.  

Schools should keep a record of the contact details of the Key Worker. Key workers do not hold Parental Responsibility.

Kinship Foster Care   

This refers to care provided by a family member, family friend or other person connected to the child. The contact details of the kinship foster carer and the nature of their relationship to the child will be recorded in the child’s Social Care Profile and should be reviewed at each PEP meeting. Kinship foster carers do not hold Parental Responsibility.

Looked After Children Review

“LAC Review”  A statutory meeting whose purpose is to review, discuss and update the child’s care, health and education plans. The initial LAC Review must take place within 14 days of a child becoming looked after with the second review scheduled no more than 3 months after this. Subsequent to the 3-month review, LAC Reviews must continue to be regularly convened on a 6-monthly basis.     

The LAC Review meeting should include all those people who are involved with the child. From an educational perspective, the School Named Contact is best placed to attend these meetings and should make every effort to attend, so that input into the educational plan for the child can be facilitated and so that any change to arrangements being made for the child can be communicated to the school. Following the LAC Review, a report of the meeting will be forwarded to the school.

Looked After at Home           

Refers to the situation where a child is subject to a Care Order but has returned to live at home with their birth parents while remaining in the care of the HSCT. In this instance, the child will still have a social worker who shares parental responsibility with the birth parents.

No longer Looked After         

A child is no longer looked after when they return to the care of their parents (with no Care Order in place). The HSCT will issue a CLA1 to the school to advise them of this.

Parental Responsibility (PR) 

All rights, duties, responsibilities and powers that the law gives a parent in relation to their child. Parental responsibility can also be given by the courts to others.

Who holds parental responsibility?

• Parent
• Social Worker – will only hold parental responsibility on behalf of the HSCT when a Care Order is in place, and it will be shared with birth parents in this case.

The school needs to be aware of who has parental responsibility for the child. This

information will be recorded in the child’s Social Care Profile and should be reviewed each

PEP meeting. School staff should remember that the child may not necessarily live with the

person that has parental responsibility for them. Therefore, at the PEP meeting,

consideration should be given to activities throughout the academic year which require parental consent and ensure that the relevant forms/paperwork are completed at this time by those who have parental responsibility. Careful forward planning on forthcoming events will ensure that the child is included fully in school activities.

Personal Education Plan (PEP)         

A Personal Education Plan is a document which provides a continuous record of the child’s educational history and achievements. The PEP should be collaboratively created by the school, social worker, carers and the child themselves. It is tailored to the individual child, establishing clear actions to be taken to ensure all parties work together to ensure the child is supported to reach their full potential.          

Further information is available from DE Revised Personal Education Plan Guidance for Children Looked After Circular Number: 23/03

Residence Order        

A Residence Order is granted by the court and gives the person who is caring for the child parental responsibility. However, in this instance, birth parents also continue to hold parental responsibility.

Children who are the subject of Residence Orders are not looked after and will have no formal care management from HSCT.

Residential Care        

This refers to care that takes place in statutory, voluntary or private children’s homes.    

The contact details of the key worker who looks after the day-to-day care arrangements for a child in the residential setting will be recorded in the child’s Social Care Profile and should be reviewed at each PEP meeting. Residential Care staff do not hold Parental Responsibility.

Social worker (Also known as a Field Social Worker)          

All Children Looked-After have a social worker who ensures that their needs are met through the Trust’s Care Plan.

If a school is unsure who a child’s social worker is, they should contact Gateway who will be able to provide this information. It is a statutory requirement for a social worker to meet with the child at least once a month in their home. This is known as a Statutory Visit. The Trust should advise the school of any changes to a social worker’s case responsibility which impacts upon a child within their setting. The social worker will share Parental Responsibility with the child’s birth parents only if the child is the subject of a Care Order.

Voluntary Accommodated / Accommodated Child

An accommodated child is Looked After by the Trust with the consent of the parent(s). This does not require court action.   

When a child is voluntary accommodated, the parent retains full parental responsibility for the child and is involved in all decisions regarding the child. The Trust do not hold parental responsibility for a child who is voluntary accommodated.