The Role of the School in Supporting the Education of Children in Public Care

group for the largest number of initiatives surveyed (46, or 21 per cent). As for other projects, funding proved a challenge for those concerned with children in public care, as did information sharing and collection and overcoming professional barriers. Key factors in the success of these particular collaborative endeavours were identified as the commitment of those involved, agreements over funding, good working relationships, focus, clarity and common aims (Atkinson et al., 2001).

A case study of operational and strategic level cooperation between education, social services and (at strategic level) health on the education of children in public care, undertaken as part of the above research project emphasises that inflexible funding structures inhibit innovation. However, multi-agency working makes possible a timeefficient and holistic approach to children’s needs, resulting in a coordinated response to those needs (Atkinson et al., 2002, pp. 194–204). Similarly, Fletcher-Campbell’s (1997) examination of education support services demonstrates that having ‘a foot in both camps’ of education and social services is a key factor in providing excellent support, trusted and valued by carers and teachers alike.

However, although Tomlinson (2003) provides a best practice guide to multi-agency working to enable local authorities to develop their practice, specific examples of evaluated successful multi-agency collaboration remain limited. Examples relating to children in public care are often embedded within studies concerned with wider groups, such as pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties (Capey, 1997). It should be noted that even good multi-agency working does not necessarily improve educational outcomes for a child in public care. Indeed, as Brodie demonstrates, good relationships and consultation sometimes make it easier to exclude children from school who reside in residential homes (Brodie, 2001).

One factor that has been highlighted in an evaluation of successful multi-agency working is the need for clarity concerning the roles and responsibilities of individual practitioners and departments, as well as the need for a common purpose between professionals (Tomlinson, 2003). It was reported in 1998 that social work planning had accorded a low priority to educational needs (Borland et al., 1998, pp. 76–78).

With the introduction of personal education plans and the 20-day rule, educational considerations have been pushed higher up the social services agenda. Some authors 18