Children who become involved with the child welfare agency may be struggling in school, have special educational needs, or be experiencing attendance issues. Their education may be disrupted and fragmented by many changes in accommodation or family circumstances. Improving school participation and educational performance are essential goals of agencies and they are often used as measures of competency development for the child. Children who are moved to new schools due to new foster home locations are particularly vulnerable. Changing schools can be hard for children who require stability, whether the move is across town or across the country. Any move can impact performance along with social and personal development.
An integral part of tracking a child's education is the measurement of performance. Different modes of progress can be captured (e.g. Grade Point Average (GPA), National Curriculum Assessments, report cards, etc.). The intention is to monitor the child's progress in school, as well as identify any potential impacts that being in care may have on a child. Performance can also be maintained for specific topics, thus highlighting a child's strong subjects and those that the child may be failing. Recommendations can be made based on education performance, including recommendations to address a child's special needs. Documentation associated with a child's education record can be stored as attachments. Attachments may be scanned documents or electronic versions of such documents attached to the child's person information. Examples of documentation include the storing of report cards, education plans, and assessment and test results from schools, vocational training and employment.