Full time education as a protective factor to reducing risk for children and young people
This report provides an overview to our approach in identifying and supporting children who are at a higher risk of harm due to not being in receipt of full-time education.
Ofsted do not provide a specific definition for how they categorise Hidden Children. The new inspection framework for Local Authority Children’s Services is clear that they will be looking at the quality of what is known about those missing from education and those being offered alternative provision.
This article published in December 2017 refers to a range of situations a child might be in that means they are not in full time education, but its focus is on inadequate elective home education or unregistered schools as a potential risk.
Our Local Safeguarding Children’s Board has for some time taken a wider view on Hidden Children, with private fostering, migrants and home education all featuring in their multi-agency training.
We share this view that a narrower definition does not provide sufficient assurance that all of those at risk of harm will be identified and supported appropriately.
In Brighton & Hove we want all children and young people to receive their full entitlement to education and for that learning to be delivered in a way that is suited to their needs. By being in receipt of their full entitlement children and young people will be less vulnerable, at reduced risk from harm and have improved outcomes.
We understand children can be vulnerable if they are not attending school, have a history of family dysfunction, abuse, neglect and being in care, privately fostered, excluded or have unmet special educational needs.
“Schools act as a protective factor in children’s lives. Children who do not attend school can become hidden, which means that we are less able to help and protect them. Some of these children may experience risks within their family, such as abuse and neglect. There may also be risks outside their family, such as radicalisation or exploitation. Protecting children from these external risks is known as contextual safeguarding. Children who do not attend school may be at further risk of not achieving their educational potential. They may not be able to access formal education or employment in the future if they have not gained recognised qualifications. They will also not benefit from the role that schools play in developing children’s skills to participate fully and constructively in society.”
Eleanor Schooling, previous director of Ofsted Social Care
We wish to ensure that the council has an overview on all pupils that are at potential risk to harm who are not in receipt of full-time education. Thereby providing challenge and support for arrangements that reduce the child’s vulnerability. This goes beyond just those pupils whose education is the direct responsibility of the council.
By identifying concerns we seek to reduce the risks to these young people. We're committed to working with the whole family through the formulation of a relationship based approach and to the creation of a city for all.
The voice of children and young people shapes how we commission and deliver services with them and it will determine what provision is available to meet their needs.
This report seeks to draw together what we mean by hidden children, what we already know and what is already happening. It will also identify what we need to continue to do and provide everyone with an understanding of why we are doing this. Whilst compulsory school age determines the entitlement to full time education we take a wider view on those who are at risk but remain focussed on those who can expect to receive a full-time education.
This approach enables a further fostering of good relationships across professional disciplines. Those working with these children and their families hold collective responsibility for this issue.
This report does not stand in isolation. It is closely related to the recently launched Whole Family Working strategy which sets out the city’s vision that early help is the responsibility of everyone who works with children and families. The aim of the strategy is to transform services to improve outcomes for vulnerable families and reduce the demand for high cost services.
It is also closely linked to the Education Partnership’s focus on school attendance. This document is part of a focus on ensuring pupils are able to access good quality education.
The adolescent strategy (and emerging approach to Violence, Vulnerability and Exploitation) covers some of the same issues within this paper.
It's also important to stress that we cannot overcome this issue in isolation. We need to take a multi-agency approach to ensure that a child’s needs are taken in to account and that all agencies are signed up to an approach that will work.
The Families, Children & Learning Directorate Plan 2018-2020 includes under the Directorate Objective to provide access to high quality and appropriate childcare, school and education provision, an action to develop systems to support families to improve attendance of children at school.
We know that the city council, the education providers and other partners in the city work hard to ensure pupils receive the appropriate education and will advocate on behalf of families. We know our performance in regards to permanent exclusions and the numbers of pupils in elective home education compares favourably with national benchmarks. However, a range of partners, families and practitioners tell us that some pupils remain at risk of harm due to not receiving their full-time education entitlement.
There can be a number of barriers to overcome to ensure that children who are potentially hidden can be identified and supported. These include:
There are a range of processes already in place across the city which ensures consideration is given to the risk of harm as a result of a child not receiving an appropriate education. This includes:
Oversight of the operational work is monitored through a range of supervisions as well as more formal performance management processes including corporate procedures, as follows:
The council reflects upon its work and the work of partners through the analysis provided by others:
Our common purpose for these children is that we will have a coordinated approach to identifying and supporting hidden children. We want to know where children are, we want to increase their attendance and we want to meet their needs.
We want children in Brighton & Hove to receive a well-coordinated response that reduces the harm or risk of harm to them. There needs to be urgency in identifying the situation and putting in place plans to reduce the risk of harm or further harm.
Ensuring children and young people have access to their educational entitlement that meets their needs is an imperative. It is acknowledged that services continue to operate with challenging pressures such as budget constraints and greater expectations on pupils attaining better education progress and outcomes. Prioritising a reduction in risk benefits all and will help to ensure those challenging pressures are better managed.
As a complex, entrenched and seemingly immovable issue we seek continual improvement in our ways of working rather than a defined end result.
We expect children to be receiving an appropriate education that meets their needs and allows them to achieve better outcomes. We will prioritise a child’s right to an education over concerns of resources.
This will look like:
We want all services working with this cohort to know that when a child or young person is not in education full time they are more at risk of harm and therefore we want people to be inquisitive and to know who needs to be informed if they are not receiving their entitlement. This LSCB briefing on vulnerability, violence and exploitation explores some of the risks to young people.
We know that there will often be complex issues linked to securing their full time entitlement but collectively that support and challenge should be focussed on the needs of the child or young person.
It is important that professionals understand the necessity of taking a whole family approach. Those working with these children and their families need to know what support is available and how it can be delivered.
With better understanding, professionals will be confident and tenacious in reducing the risk of harm for the child or young person. This includes supporting pupils with PSNA (Persistent School Non Attendance) with the use of an ATTEND form currently being trialled by Family Coaches and Primary Mental Health Workers.
They will also be able to problem solve ways to manage the reduction in risk for themselves at an early stage and use the process set out in the LSCB Threshold Document. Using the Front Door for Families when needed and only after they have tried making an assessment and pulling together a plan for intervention themselves.
We want those who are working with the groups of children and young people most at risk of being ‘hidden’ to know what education the children are receiving, to consider the impact that is having on the young person and family and, when relevant, what time limited plan is in place to get them back to full-time education.
In line with existing processes this information needs to be recorded and available for the use by the relevant people working with the family.
We want professionals to share their own service user lists and referral information with relevant colleagues to ensure we have a joined up understanding of the needs of Brighton & Hove’s hidden children. This needs to be through regular face to face communication so that the nuances of family situations are properly understood.
The conversation needs to be about ensuring their full-time education provision and all services need to know who they should be speaking with to bring about the necessary support and challenge.
A recorded plan of what is known and what will happen for each individual child will be held. This may already be part of a wider plan for a child or family however the relevant part will be extracted for this purpose. Where possible there should be a co-ordinated single plan for the family.
All children need full time provision that meets their needs. This renewed focus on the risk of harm to these children and young people together with the information gathered must inform the commissioning of relevant services using resources available.
Where possible the interventions should be relationship based, small scale and highly personalised for the child/young person and their family.
We would expect to see the outcomes for this group improving as a result of better provision being in place and the result of this demonstrated through existing performance management processes.