What is the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)?

1. Aspiration is the hope or ambition of achieving something. Info to help prepare for Wednesday 2nd April 2014, 5.30 -7.30pm All-Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers Topic: Aspiration and Education What is the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)? The APPG is a group of MPs and peers (they are members of the House of Lords) who are interested in improving the care system. They have meetings that children and young people in care, adults with experience of care and professionals from across the country can come to, to talk about ways to improve the care system. At most meetings there is a panel of people at the front who will say what they think about the topic for a few minutes each. Then we ask the audience to take part. What can I do? You can ask a question or you can explain what things are like for you or someone you know, or how you think things should be changed. You can do this by putting your hand up, or you can write your question down on a bright yellow piece of paper that staff from The Who Cares? Trust will give to the chair of the meeting. Slips of paper will be given out at the start of the meeting. IMPORTANT: The panel can’t give full answers to personal issues, but telling them helps people who make decisions know what the problems are so they can try to stop them happening for you and children and young people in care across the UK. Main questions for the meeting: What would help more children in care and care leavers to go on to and complete further and higher education? Do young people get the help and support they need to aim high?

2. Aspiration & Education What’s the issue? Young people in care are just as clever as young people who aren’t in care – but children in care just don’t do as well in GCSEs and A- Levels when they take them at the same time as everyone else, e.g. taking GCSEs when they are 16. Sometimes, thinking about and getting support with your future gets missed amongst placement moves, contact visits and thinking about leaving care. Everyone should have the support they need to help them achieve. Did you know? Research suggests that knowing what you want to do in the future motivates you to work at school and get better results. What is the government doing to help you achieve in education? Pupil Premium: Your school gets money if you are in care. At the moment it is £953 each year for primary school and £900 each year for secondary school. This is changing and from April this year, schools will get £1,900 to help the education of children in care. HE Bursary: Care leavers who go to university before they are 25 are entitled to £2,000 from their local authorities to help them with the cost of university Virtual School Headteachers: The government are changing the law so that every local authority HAS to have a virtual school headteacher. Some areas have them now but they don’t have to. Their job is to check up on schools to make sure they support children and young people in care to achieve the best they can. They should also check if the pupil premium is being spent well. Support from your local authority: young people who have been in care can get support from their local authority until their 25th birthday if they go back into education or training. Education doesn’t just mean uni, it could be basic skills courses, vocational training, apprenticeships or courses at college. This means that even if it takes you a bit longer to work out what you want to do, you still can get help to achieve.

3. Some questions to think about… At the meeting you get the chance to take part in a debate by asking the panel members questions or sharing ideas and comments. Top tip: put your hand up quick if you want to say something as lots of people want to speak and not everyone gets the chance. Here are some questions to help you think about what you might want to say at the meeting. Who or what has inspired you to go on to further or higher education? Was it a teacher, carer, a friend, a dinner lady, or someone entirely different? Maybe it was something you read or watched? What do you think needs to change for children in care and care leavers? What will help them decide what they want to do in the future or go into further or higher education? How much support have you had to work out what you want to do after education? What support are you getting? Do you want more or less? What support is needed to make sure young people are doing the right thing at college or university?

4. Invite your MP Make sure the people in power hear what you have to say! We want MPs to come to the meeting to hear about what you have got to say. They are very busy people and get LOADS of invitations to all kinds of things… their invitations to the APPG needs to STAND OUT! So WE NEED YOUR HELP! They are more likely to go to events that they are invited to by people who live in their area (who could vote for them if they’re over 18!) On the next page is a template invitation that you can use. Who is my MP and what’s their email address? Go to findyourmp.parliament.ukand type your postcode in and it will give you the details of where to email your invite to. Make sure you include your address so they know you live in their area.

5. What should I write? Here’s a draft email you could use. Dear [insert your MP’s name here] There has been a lot of news coverage about the care system recently, though not much of it about what young people themselves think of being in care. On 2nd April 2014 I am attending the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers. I am going to represent the views of looked after children and care leavers from [insert your council name here]. At this meeting, we are going to discuss aspiration and education for children in care and care leavers. The meeting is a chance for MPs, local politicians and policy makers to discuss with young people what needs to change in the care system. It takes place in the Boothroyd Room, Portcullis House, from 17.30 – 19.30. I would be very pleased if you would be able to attend and join us in debating what politicians can do to make the lives of looked after children and care leavers better. If you have any questions you can contact me on [insert details of someone to contact e.g. your participation officer] or contact Chloe Cockett at The Who Cares? Trust (chloe.cockett@thewhocarestrust.org.uk) who organises the APPG. Yours sincerely,  [Your name]