Children with a Social Worker and previously Looked After Children
The Virtual School has a duty to champion and promote the educational outcomes of Children with a Social Worker (CWSW) and Previously Looked After Children (PLAC). We work closely with schools, social care teams, carers, and families to ensure these children receive the support, stability, and opportunities they need to thrive in education.
Our role includes sharing advice, offering training, and helping settings understand the impact of adversity on learning, attendance, behaviour, and longer-term achievement.
While the Virtual School does not have direct case-holding responsibilities for CWSW, we play a vital strategic role in improving visibility, promoting high aspirations, and supporting inclusive practice across all education settings.
Guidance
The Virtual School provides guidance to schools, social workers, and families to strengthen the educational experiences of CWSW and PLAC. This includes advice on overcoming barriers to learning, creating emotionally informed environments, and ensuring that trauma-aware, attachment-aware approaches are embedded in daily practice.
We offer a range of resources, training, and professional support to help teams understand how a child's experiences may influence their readiness to learn and their engagement in school. Our guidance aims to empower professionals to make confident, informed decisions that promote stability, inclusion, and positive progress.
Admissions
Every child deserves timely access to a high‑quality school place. We work with school admission teams and education settings to ensure that CWSW and PLAC experience smooth, prompt, and fair admission into school. Where needed, the Virtual School provides advice on suitable placements and supports efforts to avoid unnecessary delays or unplanned moves.
For Previously Looked After Children, we offer guidance to parents, carers, and schools on how pupil premium funding and priority admissions status can be used effectively to support a successful transition.
Attendance
Good attendance is vital for a child's sense of belonging, stability, and academic progress. The Virtual School promotes a proactive and relational approach to attendance, recognising that safeguarding vulnerabilities, trauma, or instability may affect a child's ability to attend. We work with schools, social workers, and families to understand the reasons behind absence and to develop supportive strategies that prioritise safety, wellbeing, and inclusion. Our goal is to ensure that every child feels welcome, valued, and supported in maintaining regular school attendance.
Exclusions and suspensions
The Virtual School advocates for inclusive practice and works to reduce the exclusion of CWSW and PLAC. We support schools to understand the underlying needs that may drive behaviour and to consider alternatives to suspension or exclusion wherever possible. When exclusions do occur, we offer guidance to ensure decisions are appropriately considered, in line with statutory duties, and that children return to education swiftly with the right support in place. Our focus is always on maintaining stability, safeguarding wellbeing, and fostering a positive sense of belonging in school.
Special Educational Needs (SEN)
Many CWSW and PLAC have identified or emerging special educational needs. The Virtual School works closely with SEND teams, schools, and social care to ensure these needs are recognised early and supported effectively. We provide advice on assessments, reasonable adjustments, graduated support, and the development of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). Our aim is to ensure that every child receives the tailored support they need to build confidence, engage fully in learning, and make strong progress.
Transition
Transitions can be particularly challenging for children who have experienced instability or trauma. The Virtual School supports education settings, social workers, and families to plan well for key transitions, including changes of school, moves between care placements, and the step into further education or adulthood. We champion a child‑centred approach that prioritises preparation, communication, and continuity. Our goal is to help every child feel safe, understood, and supported as they encounter new environments and new expectations.
Additional services, guidance and activities for parents, carers and kinship carers for children with a social worker or previously looked after children
There is a wide range of national and local support available to help parents, carers and kinship carers navigate education, wellbeing, therapeutic support and family life.
The National Kinship Care Framework sets out how the government aims to strengthen support, improve outcomes and recognise the vital role of kinship families.
Kinship UK is the leading charity for kinship families, offering advice, peer support groups, workshops and the Kinship Together podcast to help carers connect and access guidance nationwide.
The Adoption and Special Guardianship Support Fund (ASGSF) provides therapeutic funding for eligible adoptive, Special Guardianship Order and Child Arrangement Order families up to March 2026, supporting children with emotional, behavioural or developmental needs through specialist services.
Stockton Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SEND IASS) offers free, impartial guidance to help families understand Special Education Needs and Disabilities processes, Education, Health and Care Plans and school support options, while Adoption Tees Valley provides regional adoption information and support.
Families can also access holiday activities and meals through the Holidays Are Fun (HAF) Programme, which offers enriching sessions for eligible children at Easter, summer and Christmas.
Additional wellbeing tools are available through international and specialist platforms such as the Out of Home Care Toolbox for out‑of‑home‑care resources, the Anna Freud resources library for mental health and family wellbeing and Be Body Positive, promoting healthy self‑esteem and body confidence.
Locally, families may also benefit from the Stockton Information Directory as well as community‑based groups such as Kinship - Stockton , Norton, Billingham KinCarers.
Parents and carers can also locate local Family Hubs offering early help, parenting support and community activities in their area.
