Students in out-of-home care missing out on basic school support, Commissioner says

A probe into the school experiences of students in foster care has so far revealed crucial support is not enforced in schools.

The Commissioner for Children and Young people has launched an inquiry into the educational experiences of student in out-of-home care.

Victorian schools are failing to meet minimum support standards for students who are in out-of-home care.

Preliminary discussions, part of an inquiry into why children in out-of-home care are less likely to finish school, have revealed that students in some schools are missing out on compulsory support.

These include tailored learning plans and being assigned teacher mentors – both requirements under state government guidelines.

An agreement between multiple bodies, including the Department of Education and Training, DHHS and Catholic and independent schools, states that schools must provide students in foster care, kinship care or any other type of out-of-home care with those specific educational supports to prevent them from disengaging from school and abandoning their studies altogether.

Independent Schools Victoria (ISV) does not actively enforce the agreement.

Victoria’s Commissioner for Children and Young People Liana Buchanan, who launched the official probe to uncover how many students are missing the crucial help, said early talks have shown that schools are missing those minimum benchmarks.

Students in care are more likely to be bullied at school.

“We’re hearing some schools are absolutely making the elements of that agreement a priority, but that’s not the case for all schools. There’s incredible inconsistency,” she said.

“Supporting children’s education and engagement with education falls pretty far down that priority list for schools.

“Something’s going very wrong for children in care in terms of supporting them to stay in education.”

The probe into the education of students in out-of-home care follows a landmark report in 2019 that found pupils in out-of-home care were more likely to be bullied at school, and less likely to succeed academically.

The Victorian government in 2016 established the virtual Lookout program across the state, an initiative that aimed to keep students in out-of-home care supported and engaged with school.

But La Trobe University trauma and special education lecturer Professor Anne Southall said schools’ lack of active attempts to improve students’ school experience was “incredibly detrimental” for their academic growth and prospects after leaving school.

“Health statistics and outcomes for them (students) are appalling and the schools are letting them down very badly,” she said.

“The educational disadvantage for these kids is beyond what I can emphasise. They have enormous learning gaps.

“They’re basically on a couple of trajectories such as mental health, special education or they become part of the justice system.”

Prof Southall said the current system could not deliver support for every child in care.

Ms Buchanan said “fundamental reform” of the system was needed, because data, which cannot be shared publicly, showed it was already buckling under pressure from crippling demand which was only made worse by the pandemic.

“These systems together are not delivering what children need, and children are suffering as a result, not just while they’re still children, but ongoing during their lives,” she said.

It comes after the Auditor-General’s scathing review of Victoria’s kinship care system, in which it was revealed that fewer than 1 per cent of ­annual safety checks on vulnerable children in kinship care were being carried out on time, and the vast majority had not been done at all.

A spokesman for the government said it backed the inquiry.

“We’re working closely with the Commission and across government to make sure every single Victorian child in out-of-home care has the support, protection and access to educational opportunities they deserve,” he said.

ISV chief executive Michelle Green said the body would welcome recommendations from the inquiry that would improve the education of children in care and that schools were provided with support to navigate the “complex and sensitive” area of guiding students in care.

It is understood that the inquiry’s findings will be tabled in a report to parliament in the first half of 2023.