Absence management process for schools

All schools should expect the following service standards from the Education Welfare Service:

• The Education Welfare Officer will respond to telephone messages and emails from schools as quickly as possible, but within two working days (other than where exceptional circumstances apply). Education Welfare Officer's who work part-time will make their linked schools aware of their available days and hours
• If the link Education Welfare Officer is unable to attend any pre-arranged meetings, this will be communicated to the school with as much notice as possible
• Education Welfare Officer's may take annual leave in term time. Where this is the case, the school's linked Education Welfare Officer will advise schools when they will be absent from work and will provide contact details for another member of the Education Welfare Team should the school need any advice or support during their absence
• Where possible, meeting cover will be arranged, but will be dependent on availability of other colleagues and the amount of notice given
• Education Welfare Officer's will consider the voice of the child and parents, and will strive to work restoratively with colleagues, schools, and other key partners
• Attendance enforcement referrals will be processed within a maximum of 10 working days. Outcomes will be communicated by email to the named referrer
• Education Welfare Officer's involved in cases that have reached Level 3 of the Staged Attendance Process will ensure that an Attendance Action Plan includes SMART targets, agreed actions arefollowed up in the stated timescales and cases are monitored to avoid drift
• Education Welfare Officers will carry out any actions agreed with schools and families and will communicate the outcome of these to schools and other relevant services within the agreed timescales
• Schools should expect a level of challenge from their Education Welfare Officer as well as support. The Education Welfare Team will use data to inform discussions with schools, for example relating to attendance rates, attendance of vulnerable groups, removals from roll, absence coding and part-time timetables
• Education Welfare Officer's within the service may contact schools in relation to other areas of the service's work and statutory duties, such as exclusions, children missing in education (CME) and missing from school. Schools should expect the same level of service and professionalism, bearing in the mind the role the service has in challenging practice as well as providing advice and guidance to schools