'They are always in the top of our mind': Designated Teachers' views on supporting care experienced children in England

Care experienced children are at substantial risk for poor educational outcomes, so it is vital to understand where the challenges and opportunities may lie in providing improved support for them. Designated Teachers have statutory responsibilities within maintained schools in England to promote the educational achievement of care experienced children, but very little research has examined their views and experiences. Following purposive sampling, in-depth, online, semi-structured interviews were conducted with five Designated Teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore their experiences of the facilitators and barriers to supporting care experienced children. Four themes were developed through reflexive thematic analysis. Designated Teachers enacted change through both systemic working, and the provision of targeted support to address individual child needs. Various facilitators and barriers to role fulfilment were identified, including multi-agency working and the impact of competing roles and responsibilities. Implications for professionals are discussed and suggestions for future research are made.

Automated summary

It is important to understand the challenges and opportunities in providing improved support for care experienced children, as they are at substantial risk for poor educational outcomes. This study explores the views and experiences of Designated Teachers in England through in-depth interviews during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings highlight the role of systemic working and targeted support in enacting change, and identify various facilitators and barriers to role fulfilment, such as multi-agency working and competing roles and responsibilities. Implications for professionals and suggestions for future research are discussed.