The Virtual School Headteacher (VSH) role has been extended to include strategic leadership for a broader range of children who are at risk of underachievement due to their complex backgrounds.  This includes children who have or have had a social worker in the last 6 years and children in kinship care arrangements. 

Children with a social worker include children under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 who are subject to child protection (CP) or child in need (CIN) plans, aged 0-18, in all educational settings.   

Previously cared for children are children who were previously cared for by an English or Welsh local authority immediately before being adopted, or who left local authority care on a special guardianship order (SGO) or child arrangements order (previously known as a residence order). An SGO is an order made by the family court.  The person or people named on the SGO will become the child's special guardian and will have parental responsibility for the child until they are 18 years old.  

Children in kinship care includes children who are in the care of family members or someone who isn’t related but knows the child well.  Kinship carers are sometimes referred to as connected carers or kinship foster carers.  Children in kinship arrangements may also have their family time contact overseen, supervised or managed by their kinship carers (as there is no longer a social worker involved) and again this can create additional challenges that would not necessarily be seen in fostering arrangements.