Previously Looked After Children
A Previously Looked After Child (PLAC) is a child who:
Has spent 24 hours or more in the care of the local authority and left local authority care through:
- a special guardianship order (SGO)
- an adoption order
- a child arrangements order (CAO)
The duty of the Virtual School for Previously Looked After Children is to:
- provide advice and guidance online (in development)
- provide advice to parents / guardians for specific, individual questions
- advise schools on how best to support previously looked after children
- advise schools on how to use Pupil Premium Plus funding for children
Pupil premium plus for previously looked after children is allocated directly to the school through parents / guardians declaring the child as previously looked after prior to the school census in October of each academic year. However, this funding is not ring-fenced to the individual child.
Kinship
A Previously Looked After Child (PLAC) could also be in a kinship care arrangement. The Department for Education (October 2024) defines kinship care as:
“any situation in which a child is being raised in the care of a friend or family member who is not their parent. The arrangement may be temporary or longer term.”
There are many different types of kinship care and they may or may not have spent time in the care of the local authority.
The duty of the Virtual School for children in kinship care is to:
- champion the attendance, attainment and progress of all children in kinship care arrangements
- provide advice and guidance to educational settings and involved professionals; raising the visibility of kinship care arrangements and the particular challenges this can bring
- provide advice and guidance for kinship families with a special guardianship or child arrangement order to help them navigate the education system
To request advice and guidance, please complete the PLAC and Kinship Referral Form below.