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Is the Care System to Blame for the Poor Educational Outcomes of Children Looked After? Evidence from a Systematic Review and National Database Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2018

Nikki Luke  and
Aoife O'Higgins
Nikki Luke*
Affiliation:
Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education, Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Aoife O'Higgins
Affiliation:
Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education, Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
*
address for correspondence: Dr Nikki Luke, Rees Centre for Research in Fostering and Education, Department of Education, University of Oxford, 15 Norham Gardens, Oxford OX2 6PY, UK. E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

It is recognised internationally that children in out-of-home care (‘children in care’ or ‘children looked after’) generally have lower educational attainments than other pupils. This article provides two forms of evidence that challenge the view that care status in itself can explain this ‘attainment gap’. A systematic review of 28 studies was conducted to assess the evidence on whether being in care is detrimental to young people's educational outcomes. This is complemented by an analysis of administrative data from England, which compares the educational outcomes of children in care at age 16 to those of children in the general population and to other children supported by social services. Taken together, the findings suggest that while research demonstrates an important attainment gap between children in care and children in the general population, this difference is reduced and in many cases disappears when other important factors are taken into consideration to reduce selection bias. We find little evidence that being in care is detrimental to the educational outcomes of children looked after, but suggest that given the heterogeneity of the population, special attention should be paid to different groups of children and their particular needs while in care.

Keywords

out-of-home carechildren looked aftereducationsystematic reviewdatabases
Type
Articles
Information
Children Australia , Volume 43 , Special Issue 2: Understanding Outcomes for Care Experienced Children , June 2018 , pp. 135 - 151
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2018 

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