Education Welfare Service
Since January 2018 the Education Welfare Service only deliver on the Statutory Duties of the Local Authority in relation to school attendance or otherwise. The service is part of Children's Services.
Education Welfare Officers no longer undertake casework. Statutory duties will include:
School attendance
- Investigations into children missing education, identifying the whereabouts of children and assisting with finding school place
- Issuing of 15-day notices, School Attendance Orders (SAO) and prosecution in the case of breaching an order
- Improving school attendance through 'Support First' and sharing good practice with schools and partners for ensure that Attendance is everyone’s business
- Ensuring that the 'Support First' principle is implemented through the quality assurance of the issuing of 'Notices to Improve’ and the monitoring of 20-day Improvement Periods
- Improving school attendance with Targeted Support Meetings (TSMs) in all schools
- Applications to court for Education Supervision Orders (ESO)
- The process, review and challenge of Part-time Timetables (PTTTs) and PTTT half termly panel meetings
Regulations
- Undertaking Register inspections in schools
- Collecting and processing of Sickness and Attendance returns
Prosecutions
- Failure to secure regular attendance at the school of registered pupil
- Application of welfare principles to every penalty notice issued and all legal proceedings
- Quality assurance and processing of evidence for parental prosecution
- Aggravated offences: quality assurance and processing of evidence for parental prosecution and interview under caution
Penalty notices
- Code of Conduct for penalty notices
- Processing Leave of absence requests
- Issuing of penalty notices for irregular attendance and unauthorised leave of absence (holidays in term time)
Child employment and performances
- Child employment - site inspections and issue of licences for work
- Child performance - in public places; site inspections
- Processing of Chaperone applications, training of Chaperones as part of the 'approval' obligations to have care and control of the child
- Safeguard, support and promote the wellbeing of the child whilst the child is taking part in activity, performance, or rehearsal during the period to which the Chaperone licence applies