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Education Liaison Service

FCA has a commitment to ensure all children and young people receive an appropriate education to help them achieve their full potential.

Through its Education Liaison Service FCA strives to promote the educational achievement of the children and young people placed with its carers.

FCA is committed to overcoming the barriers that many looked after children and young people face. The aim of FCA's Education Liaison Service is to support all young people, regardless of their gender, race or disability as part of the FCA team parenting approach. It is our expectation that young people at FCA will achieve positive outcomes at school and beyond.

FCA has a team of Education Liaison Officers (ELOs). Their responsibility is to secure appropriate education provision for every child or young person of school age placed with the agency.

All ELOs have extensive experience of working in the field of education. Many are teachers who have worked with children who present challenging behaviour and who need additional support with their learning. They all have knowledge and understanding of the legislation around additional support needs, as well as school admissions and exclusions. 

Education at FCA

FCA celebrates educational successes throughout the organisation – encouraging young people to strive for nationally recognised qualifications that can be used as a passport to employment or further education.

• FCA can show consistently that over 95% of children and young people placed have appropriate education provision. 
• The ELO service will liaise with a range of education professionals involved with the child or young person as well as the foster carers and the young people themselves to ensure that an appropriate school place is established.
• If a mainstream school is not appropriate the ELO will work within the team parenting process and alongside other professionals to arrange alternative provision. 
• ELOs offer support and advice around educational issues to carers as well as a range of training opportunities. We ensure that carers are fully aware of their crucial role in helping their children to meet their full potential.
• ELOs seek to promote awareness of cultural diversity and raise the achievements of ethnic minorities.
• ELOs are embedded in FCA’s regional teams, working alongside our supervising social workers, carers, support staff and therapists to ensure that the child or young person’s needs are met.
• The ELOs will monitor children and young people’s progress and report at reviews, planning and team parenting meetings. An FCA national database supports the monitoring process.
• School attendance rates are high, exclusion rates are low and test outcomes in Maths and English are generally age appropriate.
• Outcomes for young people in their final year of compulsory education are positive with the majority achieving success in public examinations.
• FCA encourages young people to engage in education, employment or training after the age of 16. Over 85% of older FCA placements are positively engaged.
• Foster Care Associates is nationally recognised with a Leading Aspect Award for securing and maintaining personal education provision. For further information on FCA’s Leading Aspect Award please click here.