Children with persistent and severe absence often require support beyond the boundaries of the school. Home, community and personal difficulties can also impact children’s punctuality and school attendance. A targeted compassionate approach is therefore required to understand support needs and possible co-occuring conditions.
Targeted Support operates by a case management approach including assessment, planning, implementing, and review. In partnership with children and families, we identify unmet support needs and find solutions from within the resources of the child, parents/carers and family. When required, we arrange support from others (e.g. through single agency or multi-agency support).
Overview
- The provision of a dedicated Education Welfare Officer (EWO).
- The understanding of barriers to achieving punctual and regular attendance, how these may have developed, and what has kept them going.
- The assessment of children and young people’s ascertainable wishes and feelings, done to ensure support is centred, relevant and appropriate to their needs.
- In context of improving punctuality and school attendance, the completion of a strength-based family assessment done to develop capabilities and resilience within families.
- The co-production of a S.M.A.R.T plan done with children and families to ensure goals are specific, measurable, achievable, and timely, thereby mitigating the risks of pupil/student absence (e.g. to pupil/student welfare and attainment).
- Where necessary and appropriate, the convening of multi-disciplinary support through a Team Around the Child/Family approach.
- Where necessary and appropriate, the use of statutory measures to secure regular attendance (e.g. through Education Supervision Orders, Penalty Notice, and/or Prosecution).
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