The Queensland Children's Commission has released its latest report – the Views of Children and Young People in Foster Care Survey: Education – which presents findings from our fourth survey of children and young people living in foster care in Queensland.
The report is the third in a series of reports detailing selected findings from the 2011 Views of Children and Young People in Foster Care Survey. It focuses on the educational experiences of children and young people in care and the findings provide an important insight into children and young people’s attitudes towards, and perceptions of, their own education.
Pleasingly, the findings suggest that, overwhelmingly, children and young people in care are positively engaged with the education system. Overall, they are telling us that they enjoy school, are aspiring and expecting to complete Year 12, and that their teachers are generally happy with their schoolwork. Other encouraging findings include an increase over the years in the proportion of children and young people reporting that they have Education Support Plans and, importantly, that these plans are helpful.
Along with these findings, however, the report reveals that children and young people in care continue to experience educational disadvantage. They have high rates of school changes, suspensions and exclusions, and a range of other problems at school including with bullying, schoolwork, teachers and their own behaviour. It also shows that these difficulties are often exacerbated by the child protection system. For example, young people who have had more placement and school changes are more likely to have been suspended or excluded from school.
While the report shows that educational disadvantage for children and young people in care is an enduring issue, there are clear signs of progress and significant opportunities to build on into the future, including the considerable enthusiasm children and young people in care have for school.
Source: Email from the Children's Commission 1/8/13
The report is the third in a series of reports detailing selected findings from the 2011 Views of Children and Young People in Foster Care Survey. It focuses on the educational experiences of children and young people in care and the findings provide an important insight into children and young people’s attitudes towards, and perceptions of, their own education.
Pleasingly, the findings suggest that, overwhelmingly, children and young people in care are positively engaged with the education system. Overall, they are telling us that they enjoy school, are aspiring and expecting to complete Year 12, and that their teachers are generally happy with their schoolwork. Other encouraging findings include an increase over the years in the proportion of children and young people reporting that they have Education Support Plans and, importantly, that these plans are helpful.
Along with these findings, however, the report reveals that children and young people in care continue to experience educational disadvantage. They have high rates of school changes, suspensions and exclusions, and a range of other problems at school including with bullying, schoolwork, teachers and their own behaviour. It also shows that these difficulties are often exacerbated by the child protection system. For example, young people who have had more placement and school changes are more likely to have been suspended or excluded from school.
While the report shows that educational disadvantage for children and young people in care is an enduring issue, there are clear signs of progress and significant opportunities to build on into the future, including the considerable enthusiasm children and young people in care have for school.
Source: Email from the Children's Commission 1/8/13
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