School attendance for children in care

Children and young people placed in care often do poorly at school. Children in residential institutions and socio-pedagogical homes in particular fall behind, and therefore it is necessary to increase focus on schooling at such institutions.
Through qualitative interviews with managers, childcarers and teachers in eight institutions as well as associated employees from the municipal social services (PPR), the Danish National Centre for Social Research (SFI) has studied the conditions important for the schooling of children in care. The report focuses on cooperation between professional groups involved in the daily lives of children and young people in care, and on the administration of statutory supervision of the schooling of these children. The survey shows that supervision varies a great deal from place to place, and that cooperation on schooling is often influenced by focus on social and therapeutic considerations, which may obstruct the teaching perspective.
This is the third report in a series of four on schooling of children in care. Sub-report 1 includes quantitative analyses of existing data on children and young people in care, and sub-report 2 focuses on the importance of schooling in the assessment process prior to placement in care. Results and conclusions from the three sub-reports have been pooled in a single summary report.