The Education of Children and Young People in State Care

Young people who leave care with few or no educational qualifications are at very high risk of social exclusion in adulthood. Yet in the past their education has attracted little attention from researchers or professionals. Studies by the editors and contributors to this volume show that the educational standards attained by young people in care fall progressively behind those of their peers living with their own families. This research-based book looks at the educational experiences of children and youths in nine different European countries and Canada. It identifies the obstacles that prevent them from realising their aspirations and discusses ways of improving their opportunities.

How can countries with different traditions, welfare regimes and administrative systems learn from each other? What needs to be done at national, local and individual levels to give children in care equal chances with those living with their families? At present a child in public care is five times less likely to go to university than others. How can teachers, social workers and carers better support their educational attainment, and enable more of them to succeed and progress to tertiary education? This book was originally published as a special issue of the European Journal of Social Work.

Sonia Jackson is an Emeritus Professor at the Institute of Education, University College London, UK. She has published over 80 books and articles on children in out-of-home care. As a psychologist and social worker, she first drew attention to the neglect of their education in the 1980s and has continued to research and highlight the issue in many different countries.

Ingrid Hojer is a Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Goteborg, Sweden, and has directed many research projects on children and young people in foster care.