Paul Hamlyn Foundation

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Paul Hamlyn Foundation
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Shouting for the Right to Read
Shouting for the Right to ReadHow libraries can
change the lives of looked after children
Susan Blishen and Viv Griffiths Paul Hamlyn
Foundation
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• Children in care are being left behind. Their
  attainment is not keeping pace with that of other
  children and the gap is growing wider. That
  cannot be allowed to continue.
• (Care Matters Transforming the Lives of
  Children and Young People in Care, DfES 2006)
• Libraries can play a key role in improving the
  lives of children in care. Thanks to Right to
  Read, there is a substantial bank of good
  practice to draw on that can be implemented
  easily and economically
• The achievements of Right to Read should be
  marshalled to make the case for libraries as
  agents of social change

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• Children and young people who are looked after
  are those who because of their circumstances are
  cared for by the local authority. They can be
  any age from birth to 18.
• Over 61,000 children and young people are looked
  after in England at any one time. Whilst the
  number is small, the effects of being in care
  leave a legacy that can permanently mar a young
  persons life and that can cost the state
  thousands of pounds.

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• In 2004 only 9.4 per cent of young people at 16
  who are looked after achieved 5 A-C GCSEs
  compared to 54 per cent of the wider population
• In 2004-05 only 59 per cent of care leavers were
  in education, employment or training on their
  19th birthday, compared to 90 per cent of the
  wider population
• Between a quarter and a third of rough sleepers
  were looked after at one point in their lives
• Young people who were looked after at one point
  are twice as likely to become teenage parents
• About a quarter of adults in prison were looked
  after as children
• In 2004, 64 per cent of care leavers were not in
  education, training or employment at 19 and 83
  per cent of those care leavers in custody had no
  GCSEs.

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• Barriers to educational achievement
• Instability, such as frequent changes of foster
  home or school
• Spending too much time out of school
• Insufficient help with their education if they
  get behind
• Carers who are not able and are not expected to
  provide sufficient support for learning and
  development
• Not enough help with emotional, physical or
  mental health and wellbeing
• Factors that contribute to success
• Access to early reading
• Support from well informed foster carers
• Having a mentor
• Understanding the importance of education

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• Right to Read
• To enable libraries to open up and sustain new
  routes into reading and learning for looked after
  children and their carers
• Encourage innovation and experimentation and
  children and young peoples involvement in the
  development and implementation of services.
• To give libraries a bigger stake within local
  authorities by helping them to demonstrate how
  they contribute to local and national priorities
• Long term planning essential
• Must have support and commitment of everyone
  involved in the care of young people

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With strong evidence of what works we can say
that libraries should be lead players in
improving outcomes for looked after children
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• Positive attitudes
• Social, communication and literacy skills
• Confidence and self esteem
• Book ownership
• Library membership and use
• Young people view themselves with confidence as
  readers

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• I feel better about my reading now, as I read a
  lot. Ive had lots of magazines to try and I read
  lots of different things now
• One of my pupils showed me his Booked for Life
  pen and said This pen is very special, because
  of who gave it to me
• Staff did not believe that R could be reading a
  book (she was often AWOL) until she produced a
  well thumbed Jacqueline Wilson with a book mark
  in it

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• Revised or abolished proof of identity and the
  guarantor role
• New borrower category
• Waived fines, fees and charges
• Aware of the need to work flexibility
• Greater understanding and insight

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• I feel that I have gained more of an insight
  into the lives of children in care and it has
  given me a wider perspective and tolerance for
  all social groups. I hope that it has increased
  my understanding of what they have to deal with
• I thought that being able to borrow items from
  the library could give a child a sense of
  belonging, a sense of community. In the library,
  they were just like everyone else.
• Members of Library Staff

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• Important and unique opportunities that library
  services can offer
• Increase in self esteem and confidence
• Importance of reading and access to good quality
  and appropriate reading materials
• Foster cares ticket and or a special loan
• Confidence in choosing and using books

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• This collaborative working also contributes to
  the service meeting aspects of the National
  Minimum Standards for Fostering Services and to
  improved outcomes for children and young people
  as expressed in Every Child Matters.
• Team Manager, Family Finding Long Term Fostering
  Team

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• Wider arts and creative events
• IT based activities
• Informal learning environment
• GCSE grades improved over the life of the project

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• I want to say how worthwhile it has been working
  with libraries. Library people come in from the
  perspective of enjoying reading, rather than just
  learning it. Its a different approach. The
  combination of both is beneficial to children.
• Senior Teacher, Looked After Children Education
  Team

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• Improved partnership working
• Representation on the Looked after Children
  steering group
• Project had delivered against national and local
  priorities
• The Director of Social Care and Health agreed
  to put funding aside annually to buy resources
  for residential units. The Library Service will
  manage this funding and also contribute funding
  of its own, with a commitment to engage looked
  after children in deciding what to buy.
• Quote from the final report of a project

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• Like other disadvantaged young people, looked
• after children are less likely to participate in
• sports, to visit the cinema or theatre, or read
• a book for pleasure.
• Disseminate the lessons from the Paul
• Hamlyn Foundation Right to Read
• programme for use by all authorities.
• Care Matters the Green paper 2006

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• Screams shatter the calm of the library as six
  year
• old Philip in Foster care and already
  permanently
• excluded from school for violent behaviour
  rolls
• around the floor throwing books and chairs.
• The Project Development Worker walks towards him
  sits
• down a few feet away and starts to read him a
  story.
• Philips tantrum continues, but he gradually
  becomes
• distracted and intrigued. Eventually he quietens,
  moves
• closer, and, at the final page, asks quietly
  Can I have
• another book please?

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• Where do we go from here?
• Evaluation continues final report published
  January 2007
• Dissemination/advocacy to ensure that
• the lessons learned are widely disseminated
  within the sector in order to encourage wider
  take up and mainstreaming and to
• underline the value of libraries interventions
  in relation to looked after children to key
  players outside.
• See www.phf.org.uk for more information.

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• Participation and involvement
• Partnership working
• Improving physical and emotional wellbeing
• Positive and enjoyable activities, no matter what
  their interests and abilities
• Raising self confidence, aspirations and
  achievement levels
• Helping the local authority fulfil its role as
  the corporate parent

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Libraries often lead the way in the public sector
when it comes to tackling disadvantage and
challenging inequalities. In particular, they are
uniquely positioned to reach out to those young
people who typically find our services hard to
access, who the typical one size fits all
approach to public services will do little to
help.
Beverley Hughes Minister for Children, Young
People and Families
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• Children in care can enjoy a well-rounded
  childhood only if every member of the childrens
  trust is prepared to work with social workers to
  put these children first.
• Care Matters, the Green paper 2006

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• I want to join the library. Then I can be like
  Matilda in the book. She had lots of books and
  did magic.
• Child in a residential home