Education Welfare Services

• EWS Home Page
• School Attendance
• Attendance Management
• Work of EWS
• What schools can do
• What EWS can do
• What parents can do
• Truancy Sweeps
• Fast Track
• Child Employment
• Children in Entertainment

Contact Details

• The Education Welfare Service
  Hill View, Hill View Drive, Welling, Kent DA16 3RY
• 020 8836 8445/8424
• educationwelfare
  @bexley.gov.uk

Useful Links

• Children's & Young People's Services
• Learners Service
• Education Home Page
• DCSF
• 1999 DfEE Circular

Education Welfare Services (EWS)

What is the Education Welfare Services?

All children of compulsory school age should receive suitable education, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. If a child is registered at school parents have the primary responsibility for ensuring that their child attends regularly.

LEAs have a duty under Section 437 of the Education Act 1996 to serve a notice or School Attendance Order on a parent where appropriate in order to enforce parents' responsibility for ensuring that children of compulsory school age receive suitable education.

This duty is exercised through the Education Welfare Service (EWS) and its Education Welfare Officers (EWOs). The Government's priority is to reduce the level of absences both authorised and unauthorised. The Government looks to LEAs, through their EWS, to focus their effects on achieving these targets.

Additionally the EWS discharges the LEA's responsibility to monitor and licence child employment, children in entertainment and matrons.

What does the service do?

• direct in school support for individual children whose attendance is giving cause for concern
• home to school liaison, including home visits
• community action to combat truancy eg. sweeps and swoops
• collaborative projects
• consultation
• court action where necessary (Section 444 (1) & (1a) 1996 Education Act)
• contact with families to advise on exclusion procedures and management of data on exclusions
• issuing of child employment and performance licences
• management of Elective Home Education
• advice on child protection issues
• issue fixed penalty notices in accordance with their code of practice

How is the service provided?

The EWS is managed by the Team Manager, Access, supported by 1 Senior EWO who manage 11 EWOs (9.2 fte). There is an administrative team of 3 staff (1.8 fte).

A named EWO is assigned to each school. Schools are visited at regular intervals - either weekly, fortnightly, monthly or half-termly depending on the needs of the individual school. The visit structure enables the service to respond flexibly to identified needs. EWOs work generically with schools and are supported by colleagues with specialisms and lead responsibilities within the team. EWOs develop a close relationship with the school, in particular those staff responsible for attendance issues.

EWOs work in partnership with schools, parents and others in order to support the attendance of children at school. Successful outcomes depend upon effective collaboration and the commitment of all concerned. The school undertakes work with children and families in the early stages of absence. A referral system for EWS intervention exists and schools will follow this to ensure efficient and effective use of resources.