Looked after Children Conference (26-6-08)

The day consisted of discussion points and guest speakers, discussing the transition between compulsory and post compulsory education. We discussed Looked after Children (LAC) in residential care and fostering, the day put forward some interesting views. It was really good to talk about some of the view points of those who have been LAC students. It was also good to discuss some strategies and ways that FE teachers can make this transition easier.

In the morning we heard two guest speakers; one from the children’s services for the London borough of Ealing, and one who is the Young People’s Involvement Worker for Shaftesbury Homes and Arethusa. Their opinions did vary slightly, particular when discussing LAC moving into independent living at a young age. This opened the day up with an issue that I had never even considered.

We then enjoyed a performance from the Geese production company, who put on a very powerful and interactive production. Containing many discussion points, the players played out a series of scenes which portrayed crucial moments in the development of two LAC students at various stages of their lives. All the characters wore masks which they were asked to take off during key moments to talk about how they were feeling ‘behind the mask’ The performance and some of the points raised were powerful and informative, it looked at possible issues that can be going on outside of school / college, or previous to post-compulsory education.

After lunch we were asked to book workshops, I booked Making the Protocol work; were members of the pannel discussed the setting up of the protocol, how needs were met and reflecting it’s effectiveness. After this I went down stairs to ME: (My Education): Peer Mentoring Project which is based at the Horizons Centre in Ealing. We had a chance to meet the Mentors and one young Mentee. The Mentors discussed the success of the project and how the Mentees were encouraged and supported through the project. We also listened to the experiences of a Mentee, where she discussed what had gone well and how it had helped her.

Finally we returned to the Lecture theatre for a summary of the day.