The Job and What's Involved
Education welfare officers aim to make sure that young people get the best possible education. They work with young people whose education is being affected by irregular attendance or absence from school.
Poor attendance at school can be caused by many different factors. These include family problems (for example, the young person may have to act as a carer), health and psychological problems, bullying, inability to cope with school work, poor relationships with teachers, peer pressure, pregnancy, or lack of family support.
The job involves:
- Assessing problems and possible solutions by working closely with schools, pupils, their parents and carers.
- Sharing information with other parties such as teachers, educational psychologists, social workers, probation officers, the police and Connexions personal advisers.
- Conducting assessments of children and young people.
- Improving the links between the school and the home.
- Helping families get all the benefits and help they are entitled to such as free school meals, clothing and help with transport to school.
- Preparing reports on children with special educational needs.
- Advising schools on strategies to get all pupils to attend.
- Tracking pupils who go missing.
- Arranging alternative education for pupils who cannot attend school.
- Promoting child safety in line with the Children's Act, and contributing to child protection and safeguarding procedures.
- Issuing work and performance permits to children and young people, and following up breaches in regulations on the employment of children.
- Where appropriate, prosecuting parents who fail to ensure their children receive a suitable education - this involves writing reports and preparing evidence for legal action, and may involve giving evidence in court.
- Implementing education supervision orders, school attendance orders, and anti-social behaviour initiatives such as truancy sweeps.
- Using computer software to analyse patterns of attendance.
- Supporting excluded pupils on their return to school.
- Possibly training school staff and others on attendance and safeguarding issues.
Education welfare officers tend to work from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. There is also some evening work, for example, when visiting parents who may be out during the day, or going to school events such as parents' evenings.
They are usually based in a centre or school, often as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Some education welfare officers work from home.
Much time is spent away from their office meeting other professionals, and on home visits to young people and their parents. They travel around the local area, particularly if they are responsible for more than one school. Education welfare officers need a driving licence and can normally claim a car allowance as part of their job package.
Education welfare workers in England and Wales are employed by local authorities. In Northern Ireland, they work for education and library boards. Some social workers in Scotland specialise in education welfare and attendance issues. Many schools employ attendance officers, and some education welfare officers are directly managed by schools.
Vacancies for education welfare officers are advertised in The Times Educational Supplement, The Guardian, Community Care, local newspapers and on local authority websites.
