Education Welfare Services (EWS)

Our Work

The Work of Education Welfare Services (EWS)

The main function of the Service is to ensure full attendance for all pupils who live within the Bexley Council Area. The EWS carries out the LEAs statutory responsibility with regard to school attendance. Additionally the Service has responsibilities with regard to:-

Child Employment
Children in Entertainment and chaperon licensing
Child Protection
Children educated out of school

Each school within the Authority has a dedicated Education Welfare Officer (EWO). Education Welfare Service (EWS) time is allocated to a strict criteria and Officers visit schools to liaise with regard to attendance.

Poor attendance is normally defined as below 80%, DCSF targets are 95% at Primary level and 92% at Secondary level. The reasons for poor attendance are numerous and can included:-

Bullying (by other pupils or by School staff)
Special Educational Needs
Parentally condoned absences – children kept at home to assist sick parent; to assist with siblings; parental mental health problems; parents who abuse alcohol or drugs; parents who do not value education; abusive parents;
Cultural disregard for education
Pupils involvement with drugs or alcohol
Peer pressure
Offending behaviour

DCSF guidance maintains that attendance should be considered as primarily a school issue and inline with this guidance the Bexley EWS operates a 5 Level support system. Levels 1 and 2 are school-based intervention with Levels 3, 4 and 5 following formal referral to the EWS. Each school will have an individual attendance policy, which addresses strategies to support optimum attendance. In many cases the EWS will be consulted on the development of that policy.

Examples of strategies employed will include: -

Discussions with parents/carers
Discussions with pupils
Identification of school-based problems e.g. Bullying issues; Special Educational Needs (SEN); personality clashes; home difficulties which may impact on pupil's ability to attend fully
Consultation with EWS

Examples of support offered will include: -

Identification of appropriate mentor (this may be a particular teacher with whom the pupil feels "comfortable" or may be a specific mentor working within the school or via an associated agency)
Adoption of strategies to overcome the identified problem
Ongoing attendance at an in school support group
Adaptation of curriculum

In is only after all available in-school resources have been exhausted will referral to the EWS be appropriate.

Referral to the Education Welfare Service is made via a formal referral form complete with associated paper work. Officers visit the school to discuss cases prior to this formal referral. In some cases the Officer may suggest additional in-school support prior to acceptance of the referral.

Officers will make an initial assessment of individual cases based on the information supplied by the school. The work of the Officer will then be tailored to each case and will include several of the following strategies: -

Pupil invited to attend a Surgery held by an EWO (each EWO has a set time and day for Surgery when pupils can see the Officer with or without an appointment)
Parents invited into school for a joint school/EWO meeting or to meet with specific associated professionals
Pupil to attend a support group either in school or external
Letters to the family
Home Visits
Escort pupils into school
Set up reintegrating programmes, which may include amendments to curriculum; shortened timetable; reduced time in school; gradual return to school by employing desensitisation methods
Referral to other agencies including Social Services; Educational Psychology; Behaviour Support Service; Connexions; Princes Trust; BECHAMS Voluntary groups;

The work of EWOs is reviewed through monthly formal supervision with a Senior Education Welfare Officer. Individual cases are reviewed after 3 months. If the attendance of the pupil has not improved consideration of Legal intervention will commence.

Each case will be brought to Supervision and evaluated through an agreed process. Consideration will only be given to cases where all available support has been employed. The process of evaluation will consider the appropriate use of legal intervention in the following order:

Education Supervision Order
Sect. 444 (1) Education Act 1996
Sect. 444 (1A) Education Act 1996 (the aggravated offence)
Inclusion of a Parenting Order in conjunction with one of the above offences

Following the decision to commence legal action a formal "Warning Letter" reminding the parents/carers of their legal responsibilities signed by the Senior Education Welfare Officer will be sent. EWO support may still continue at this stage. If there is no improvement in attendance the parent and pupil (the pupil is not included if they are of Primary age) are invited to a meeting with the head of Service. The full legal situation is again outlined and one last effort is made to find strategies to improve attendance.

The aim of the EWS is to support young people in receiving the Education to which they are entitled. Resort to the use of Legal intervention is only undertaken when many alternative strategies have been tried. Of the 1200 plus cases referred to the Service in any one year less than 50 cases are likely to be brought before the Magistrates Court.