Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

We support the amendments. An essential element of improving the quality of care for looked-after children is improving their education, so we support the proposal that someone with the appropriate status should be designated to be responsible for looked-after children to ensure that they are given any extra support that is needed at school. We want to make certain that looked-after children are given the same chances at succeeding as their peers, and this requires some extra help. Even knowing that there is someone there could be an important resource. Given that the key to this is bettering the children’s educational prospects, perhaps the person best designated to do this would be a teacher, as they need to be able to assist looked-after children in their educational plans and they should be properly trained. For a similar reason, we support the further amendment that a member of the governing body be designated to monitor the scheme. That adds a useful area of oversight, which will secure high standards of care and support and ensure that a designated teacher for looked-after children does not get ignored by a school’s administration.