Education Welfare Service

The service works with schools, children and their parents/carers. Support is provided to schools around the management of pupil welfare and attendance. The aim is to remove barriers to attendance to enable children and young people to attend school regularly, to enjoy their education and to fulfil their potential.

Further information

About our service:

Our education welfare officers are DBS checked and specialists in their profession. Each officer has ongoing support from an experienced assistant principal education welfare officer including regular casework supervision.  They are also supported by an administration clerk.  The education welfare service prides itself on delivering a timely, accurate and efficient service.

Our services are competitively priced and designed to deal with day-to-day and long term attendance issues, meeting the ever changing needs facing schools.  Schools can choose the number of hours that are required and how these hours are used.

Our education welfare officers receive safeguarding training, support and guidance.  All officers understand relevant legislation and will provide support with attendance, registers and coding issues.  They record casework to standards required by the Magistrates’ Court.

Benefits:

• Casework for pupils with attendance and punctuality concerns
• Home visits and school meetings
• Targeted attendance letters and telephone calls
• Early help assessment and liaison with multi-agencies and other professionals
• Guidance on the absence monitoring system and escalation process
• Advice on individual cases
• Guidance on Education Penalty Notice related documents
• Absence data analysis when required
• Guidance on pupil registration status and coding
• Access to information, changes in government focus and new legislation
• Preparation of witness statement for the Magistrates’ Court
• Attendance at the Magistrates’ Court
• Children missing from education checks – home visits, checks with neighbours and all other relevant work.

Further information:

It is your responsibility to book and fund interpreters when required for all non-statutory work.

The cost of education welfare officer hours includes management support.  All elements of casework are chargeable, as are travel, administration, case recording and time spent in supervision with an assistant principal.

There is no charge for any of the following statutory work undertaken on behalf of maintained schools and academies.

• Processing Education Penalty Notices for unauthorised term-time leave
• Taking prosecution action in the Magistrates’ Court
• Children missing in education casework (following school taking action)

Contact us:

Email: education.welfare@leicester.gov.uk
Phone: 0116 454 5510