Early education as an intervention for children looked after

Of the more than 70,000 children in care of the state in England, approximately one fifth are under the age of five. These young ‘children looked after’ (CLA) are placed largely in foster or kinship care. The early adversity experienced by many prior to entering care can lead to poorer educational, socio-emotional, and health outcomes, which will have implications throughout their life trajectory (Mathers et al., 2016). Government data show that CLA have significantly poorer educational outcomes than children not in care throughout primary and secondary school, with the gap widening as children get older. Beyond compulsory education, just seven per cent of care-leavers in England progressed to higher education in 2014, compared with 50% of the general population aged 17 to 30 (Department for Education, 2014). Although the focus is often on school outcomes and beyond, evidence suggests that fostered children are already behind in their language, psycho-social and neuro-psychological functioning before the age of five, and have poorer academic and socio-emotional competence upon entry to school (Pears and Fisher, 2010, 2005). There is, therefore, a strong case for early intervention to ensure that CLA can reach their full potential. Young CLA need early years’ environments which help them to develop secure attachments, socio-emotional skills, inhibitory control and language skills, as well as supporting health and psychological needs. Learning must also be supported alongside social and emotional needs (Cameron et al., 2015