The CLA Education Team is a team who offer support to children looked after, social workers, schools and carers to ensure that all children and young people in care have access to a good quality, appropriate education and the necessary support to fulfil their full potential.
Arranged in a cluster model and managed by the CLA Education Team Manager, there is an allocated officer for every child looked after aged 5-16.
Following a referral form being submitted, the team can start to deliver an agreed package of support in school, these interventions can be catch up, wellbeing and/or transition focused. The team are trained in a number of interventions including ELSA, MELSA and Lego Therapy. All members of the team working in schools have undertaken the Diploma in Trauma and Mental Health Informed Schools and Communities and are accredited practitioners.
There is regular liaison between the allocated LACES officer and the CLA Designated Person in each school, affording regular opportunities to review CLA pupils progress, targets and support needs in line with their Personal Education Plans (PEPS)
The LACES Team offers regular training opportunities to all Merthyr Tydfil schools, examples include CLA Designated Person Training and lived experience trauma informed training. Schools are invited to make contact with the Team Manager to discuss any further training or development needs in relation to children and young people looked after within their settings.
Catch up tuition is available to all Children Looked After through a referral process. For tuition to be considered, there has to be robust evidence of a graduated response to need, and that the young person is accessing all catch up/revision opportunities available to them at a school level.
The Pathway to Work
In line with our Hidden Ambitions offer to young people in our care, we launched our CLA Pathway to Work project in 2020. Sitting within the Local Authority Employability Team, this team is jointly managed by the Aspire SAP Coordinator (Jared Green) and the CLA Education Team Manager (Jessica Jones). The team comprises two CLA Employment Mentoring Support Officers and an administrative officer. The team works closely with the Children’s Services CLA and 16+ team. Referrals will be made to target employability needs that are over and above what would be offered via the young persons advisor/social worker role.
The intention of this project is to develop a range of tailored interventions that will increase opportunities for CLA and care leavers to take positive steps towards gaining sustainable employment.
There are 4 stands to the project:
Employability support
employability skills, CV building, work experience, job searches, application completion and interview techniques.
The Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) project
A 6-month paid work placement, supported, and mentored by the Pathway to Work team. ILM engages with the public, private and voluntary sectors.
Seren Dyfodol (Future Stars) project
We have partnered with EE to pilot a unique employability scheme for 14–16-year-old CLA pupils across the county borough called ‘Seren Dyfodol’. This programme will offer three strands of engagement support from EE and a guaranteed apprenticeship at the end of year 11 for all pupils who have engaged. Participants are given day release from school and attend sessions in the EE call centre twice a month.
The Ewch Amdani! Go for it! project
Launched in January 2024 and working with secondary aged CLA pupils, this project offers a wide range of opportunities to broaden young people’s horizons and education, training and employment ambitions with visits to local employers, taster sessions in trades, a 5-day summer school, visits to colleges and Universities and access to inspirational guest speakers.