Introduction
Keeping children in education and safeguarding
Although the reasons for poor school attendance are usually complex, all lead professionals should be aware that where ‘attendance at nursery/school is irregular’, neglect may be a factor and attendance should therefore form a core part of any assessment into the needs of a child and their family.
The London Safeguarding Children Procedures note that:
‘If a parent fails to comply with local authority efforts to ensure regular school attendance for a child, this must be viewed as a child welfare matter and a referral made to LA children's social care in line with Referral and Assessment Procedure.’ (page 33, section 3.4)
In it's Working Together to Improve School Attendance (2024) guidance, the Department for Education (DfE) explicitly indicates that:
'... social care services... should include building attendance expectations into children in need and child protection plans... or consider developing a plan as an intensification of support where formalised attendance support (such as an education supervision order) is no longer sufficient or has not been effective.'
The London Safeguarding Children Procedures 'Threshold Document: Continuum of Help and Support clearly sets out the levels at which attendance concerns meet the threshold for statutory intervention from children’s social care. This guidance should inform and assist social workers and others in decision-making with regard to the appropriate tier for targeted services to be offered with respect to attendance:
|
Level 1 |
Level 2 |
Level 3 |
Level 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
No additional needs |
Early help |
Children with complex multiple needs |
Children in acute need |
|
|
Stage one – initial attendance action |
Stage two – formal attendance action |
Stage three – statutory attendance action |
|
The carer positively supports learning and aspirations and engages with school |
The carer is not engaged in supporting learning aspirations and/or is not engaging with the school. |
The carer does not engage with the school and actively resists suggestions of supportive interventions. |
The carer actively discourages or prevents the child from learning or engaging with the school |
|
Child is in education/training with no barriers to learning. Planned progressions beyond school/college. Behaviour issues are managed by the school. |
Child experiences frequent moves between schools or professional concerns re home education. Reports of bullying but responded to appropriately. Peer concerns managed by the school. |
Child’s attendance is varied with missing absences and exclusions. Recurring issues raised about child’s home education. Inappropriate behaviour from carer/school has not been managed. |
Child’s achievement is seriously impacted by lack of education. Regular breakdown of school placements. Lack of trust in education system (young person or parents/carers). Repeated concerns about school’s management of behaviour. |
Download the continuum of need matrix
Page last updated: 07 November 2024
