Education welfare service

We can bring a range of benefits and experience to schools. This includes skilled staff working across professional boundaries. They're represented at a number of inter-agency meetings and forums including:

  • Local Safeguarding Children’s Board sub-groups
  • Youth Offending Team (YOT)
  • multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC)
  • Fair Access Panel (FAP)
  • Behaviour and Attendance Network
  • Fostering Panel

We strongly advise all schools/academies to buy education welfare officer time. Doing this makes sure you're covered for any attendance issues that may arise over the academic year.

For schools that purchase dedicated EWO time, there's the option of help for your most vulnerable families throughout the summer holiday period.

What's included in dedicated EWO time

Case management

Uses the fast track and time-focused case management model, with flexibility to select the most appropriate and effective interventions to improve the attendance of individual pupils.

Case work

Assessment and intervention following a referral can include:

  • investigations
  • home visits and writing letters/action plans
  • signposting and referrals to other agencies
  • attending meetings such as internal attendance panels
  • working with other agencies including the early help assessment
  • Child in Need (CIN) or Child Protection (CP) procedures
  • advocating and negotiating support; maintaining case files
  • preparing relevant documentation to support legal action and engaging in regular supervision where case files are quality assured.

Early intervention and preventative approaches

Include facilitating attendance assemblies, attendance sweeps,  attending transition; parent/carer meetings and pupil meetings; supporting schools in raising the attendance agenda.

Staffing for service provision

Access to EWS management and a named EWO with a wide range of relevant and specialised qualifications, experience, knowledge and skills. They can deliver a service appropriately focused on the needs of schools/academies, and of children, young people and their parents/carers, in relation to those issues that impact on school attendance.

Early identification and review

Discussion on an agreed and regular basis between EWS and school/academy staff regarding pupils with emerging attendance issues, including potential/actual persistent absence - offering advice and agreeing actions by school/academy and EWS. This includes reviewing attendance certificates, identifying developing patterns of absence, updating progress of cases in meetings, by telephone, email and written reports.

Support, training, guidance and advice

For teaching and non-teaching staff in relation to registration and attendance issues, as well as sharing and disseminating good practice. There will be regular updates on changes to legislation and government policy, support on how to implement good practice and prepare effectively for Ofsted Inspections; 157/175 Education Act 2002 Safeguarding training to all school staff to meet with Ofsted requirements

Data collection and analysis

To support you in undertaking evidence based practice through the effective use of attendance data to analyse attendance trends at registration group, year group, whole school/academy levels to inform appropriate actions and interventions.



Examples of support and advice

  • Building strategies for tackling attendance related problems including lateness.
  • Designing whole school/academy attendance policies.
  • Use of attendance data analysis and audits.
  • Registration legislation advice.
  • Strategies to reduce absence rates due to ‘leave of absence’ requests during term time.
  • Develop/review policies regarding pupils who are unable to attend school due to medical needs.
  • Contribute to the delivery of curriculum related issues including, for example, school age employment and attendance matters.
  • Training and support for key stakeholders. Examples include designated safeguarding teacher leads and child protection co-ordinators. They're responsible for closing the achievement gaps for vulnerable groups. This includes looked after children and those with special educational needs and disabilities.
  • Support, advice and guidance in relation to traveller attendance.
  • Support, advice and guidance to schools for pupils who are at risk of criminal/ASB. They also help those who are involved with the Youth Offending Team.
  • Support, advice and guidance for children at risk of or known to be sexually exploited



Attendance patterns

Children and young people’s patterns of attendance can and do change markedly over the year for a wide variety of reasons.

We strongly advise all schools and academies to buy education welfare officer time to make sure that you're covered for any attendance issues that may arise.

For more information