£11.6 million for looked after children

Funding provided for targeted projects

Programmes to help raise the attainment of care experienced young people are to benefit from £11.6 million of funding – Edinburgh’s share is £1,000,800.

Projects as diverse as mentoring programmes and outdoor and play-based education were supported through the Care Experienced Children and Young People fund last year.

Funding was also used to provide looked after children with laptops to support their home learning during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Local authorities will work with Chief Social Workers and Directors of Education to decide how this year’s funding will be used. Care experienced young people from birth up to the age of 26 are eligible for support.

To help mitigate the impact of COVID-19, local authorities will have flexibility to redirect some of this Care Experienced Children and Young People funding from existing plans to best support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families, with a continued focus on equity in education.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Improving the education and life chances of all our children and young people is the defining mission of this government.

“The challenges presented by the current pandemic mean that efforts to deliver equity in education are more important than ever.

“We know that there are still many barriers facing young people in care and that they are not always able to access the same opportunities as their peers.

“This funding will help remove those obstacles and allows local authorities to provide targeted help for some of our most disadvantaged pupils.”