1. education
2. school

3/27/2015
The Research Context
Children and young people in out-of-home care often experience
poorer educational outcomes and vocational opportunities than
their peers.
Anglicare Victoria’s ‘TEACHaR’ program:
Closing the ‘education gap’ for children and young people in care
Anglicare Victoria Research:
Laura David
Policy, Research and Innovation
Anglicare Victoria
‘Care System Impacts on Academic Outcomes’, (CIAO), Wise, Pollock,
Mitchell, Argus & Farguhar (2010) - conducted with Wesley Mission
Children in Care Report Card, Wise & Smith (2014)
The CIAO Report (2010)
Voices from CIAO (2010)
“Falling behind” may include:
•Poorer school engagement and attendance
“I don’t think she believes in her potential…she’s
distracted and not able to concentrate on school
or even believe in her future”
- Case manager
•Lower learning confidence and often fewer aspirations
•Numeracy and literacy difficulties
•Bullying and difficulty making friends
“His potential is completely untapped.
He’s capable of going to university but at this point in time
he’s just not going to make it”
- School teacher
•Challenging behaviours in the classroom
‘
•More frequent school changes and transitions
•Poorer overall school achievement
Children in Care Report Card (2014)
Anglicare’s
2014 Children in Care
Report Card
shows disparities
between outcomes for
children and
young people in care
and those not in care
For example:
Children in Care Report Card (2014)
Other comparative data include:
•
Fewer children/young people in care participate
in leisure activities
•
A greater number use drugs or alcohol
•
Nearly double have long term health conditions
•
Fewer spend time with friends after school with friends after school
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What is TEACHaR?
What is TEACHaR?
Purpose:
To improve the educational outcomes of children and young people living in OHC
Transforming Educational Achievement
for Children in
Home-based and Residential care.
Aims:
•
1.
To strengthen school engagement, attendance and attitudes to learning
2.
To improve literacy and numeracy skills
3.
To support students to obtain results that are more consistent with their potential and
ability
Holistic Practice
The TEACHaR Model
• Direct learning support
•
Targeted to children/young people in home-based, residential and kinship
care
Employs experienced, registered teachers
•
Holistic, outreach approach
• Support in the
classroom
•
Works across three Melbourne Metro regions
•
Blended philanthropic funding (the Helen Mcpherson Smith Trust, The Ian Potter
• Student learning,
safety, and
behaviour plans,
SSGs, ENAs
•
Embedded outcomes framework
The Child
• Brokerage
• Enrolments and school
transitions
• “Sneaky teaching”
•
Foundation with DEECD and DHS)
• Assessments
• Supportive of talents
and interests
The care
context
The school
• Tutoring in the home
• Care and case planning
• Professional
development
• Support and education to carers
and staff
• Advocacy
Evaluation and Outcomes
Outcomes data are collected on a 6 monthly basis via an embedded
service tool, conceptualised prior to program implementation.
Abracadabra!
For John, learning is magic….
Domains of measurement:
School
support
Learning in
the care
environment
School
engagement
Academic
Skills
Extra
curricular
activities
Barriers to
learning
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Baseline Data (2012 -2014)
At least 75% of children and young people were identified as experiencing
emotional, behavioural and/or ‘trauma-related’ difficulties at program entry
(total n= 67)
Examples:
Baseline Data (2012 -2014)
In residential care, at least 50% of children and young people were identified
as having a:
•
•
“Child gets overwhelmed and lost easily – becomes hyper-aroused”
“He’s extremely shy and anxious”
“Lots of repetitive behaviours – hard to calm down”
“Bites himself, tries to bite others”
“Demonstrates sexual behaviours in the classroom”
“She shuts down or disassociates when stressed”
“Aggressive with carers, school teachers, students – he can be violent”
“He just stares at the whiteboard”
“She’s so fightened”
“He absconds from school every week”
“Non-compliant. Frequently leaves the classroom”
diagnosed mental health issue and/or
a clinically assessed learning or developmental condition (total n=24)
Examples noted:
PTSD
Reactive Attachment
Conduct Disorders
ADHD
ODD
Borderline Personality
Disorder
Repeated suicide attempts
Self harm
Major depression and anxiety
Eating disorders
Psychosis
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Developmental Delay
Severe continence issues
First year Outcomes – School Support
First year Outcomes – School Engagement
First year Outcomes
– Academic Skills and Achievement
First year Outcomes
– Academic Skills and Achievement
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References
Wise, S., Pollock, S., Mitchell, G., Argus, C., & Farquhar, P. (2010). CIAO: Caresystem impacts on academic outcomes. Melbourne: Anglicare Victoria
and Wesley Mission Victoria.
Gary: x-boxes, electronics and beyond….
Wise. S., & Smith., T. (2014). Anglicare Victoria Children in Care Report Card,
Report No. 2. Melbourne: Anglicare Victoria.
Enquiries
Phone: (03) 9412 6102
Email: laura.david@anglicarevic.org.au
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