Administrative Guidelines

For Individual Education Plans for Children in the Care of the Chief Executive DECS

October 2001

Planning for Children in Care

If a child or young person is in care it usually means they are living away from home. In some cases this may be with their extended family or they may be living with foster carers. In most cases a court has ordered that the child be looked after outside their immediate family.

For children and young people in care the international research indicates that the educational outcomes for these children fall well below average.

For educational accountability and to improve outcomes, these students in care often need additional support and are required by the Chief Executive to have a specific individual educational plan. The complexity of this plan depends on a student's level of need.

Individual Education Plans

Individual Education Plans are required for students with high-level support needs including those:

• in special schools, learning support units
• on the Integration Support Program receiving two days or more STA support per week
• with high level resource needs on other support programs.
• students in foster care/residential care

Individual Education Plan (IEP) for children and young people in care

What Is an Individual Education Plan?

An IEP is not a teaching/learning program. An IEP is a concise written statement, developed for (and with, wherever possible) a child or young person by a group involved in the student's education and welfare. The IEP is generally no longer than one or two pages. The IEP describes the student's current level of functioning.

• sets both long and short term educational objectives for the student
• delineates the resources needed to reach those objectives
• determines the strategies to be used in achieving the objectives
• assigns responsibility for implementing strategies
• provides a framework for evaluating educational outcomes for the student
• provides an ongoing record to ensure continuity in programming.

When is the Individual Education Plan set?

The Individual Education Plan for children in care should be made in the first term that a child in care is identified and progress against the objectives identified in the plan should be reviewed each term.

Developing the Individual Education Plan

For the process to be successful there must be collaboration and ongoing consultation between teachers, Family Services, Non Government Foster Care Agencies, carers, parents, support agencies and students.

The following process is suggested:

1. The Individual Education Plan Team

The IEP Team should include: (Core members)

• child or young person (given the option of attending)
• classroom teacher/s and/or Year Co-ordinator
• Family Services Worker/Non Government Foster Care Agency Worker
• Foster Carer(s)
• Parents (if appropriate)

It may also include reports from:

• school counsellor
• STA
• parent advocate
• other professionals
• CHADS education & clinical staff
• the student
• representatives from other support agencies
• student advocate
• Itinerant teachers

The IEP Team can and should vary depending on the educational needs of the student.However at all times it is important to list the members of the team and to recordthem in terms of their respective roles and responsibilities.

2. Coordination of the Individual Education Plan Team

A teacher member of the team should be assigned the role of Co-ordinator responsible for:

• ensuring all team members understand the IEP process
• providing parents/carers with information about how they can contribute to the meeting
• arranging for interpreters if necessary
• organising and chairing IEP meetings
• ensuring the establishment of a regular process for monitoring progress
• nominating a team member to record meeting outcomes, which are then distributed to all team members.

3. Information for an Individual Education Plan

All team members are encouraged to collect information in order to plan in an effective and efficient manner.

This phase includes:

• collecting information within the school relating to the student's strengths, interests and areas of need
• collecting information from carers relating to the child/young person's strengths, interests and needs
• sharing information and observations of the student's behaviour and learning in a variety of settings
• considering program priorities across the school and how they will impact upon the child or young person
• arranging for formal assessment/reports where appropriate. (Eg. CHADS, CAMHS assessments and reports)

4. The Individual Education Plan meeting

The atmosphere of the meeting is all-important. All members should feel comfortable and valued and free to express their ideas and feelings. The use of professional jargon should be avoided.

The meeting should:

• clearly define the responsibilities of team members
• briefly review the student's educational history
• briefly review current service provision
• discuss the student's level of performance, strengths, interests and goals
• establish long and short term goals, objectives and strategies
• prioritise short-term objectives for the student.
• establish the review dates

As a follow up, all members should receive a copy of meeting outcomes and a statement listing program review dates and/or time lines.

5. Writing the Individual Education Plan

In the first 12 months of a child entering the care system the IEP should be developed and reviewed at least on a term basis by the team. Thereafter the IEP may be written/reviewed on a six monthly basis. To a significant extent the child/young person's progress educationally will determine the need to write and review IEPs. The school may have its own IEP format or alternatively a draft IEP specifically for children and young people in care has been developed in the ACT and is attached for use by the school IEP team if required.

6. Review of an Individual Education Plan

IEP review meetings should be held regularly and at each meeting the existing IEP is
reviewed and modified as required.

The evaluation of an existing IEP may consider:

• how has the current IEP met the student's needs?
• has the student achieved the short-term goals delineated in her/his IEP?
• have the strategies used been successful in assisting the student achieve his/her
  goals?
• have the resources been most effectively used?
• what goals need to be re-negotiated and how may they be achieved?
• recommendations for the student's future educational program.

Transition To Another Setting

Students in care moving from a school into the workforce and/or independent living will require the planned transition process to be articulated in the IEP. This process may begin in Year 9-10, and would be expected to be in place in Yr 11-12 and continue until the student leaves school.

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