Mission Statement

The Education Welfare Service works with young people and their families, schools, colleagues in the Local Education Authority, and other agencies to promote equality of opportunity for all young people to access suitable educational provision.

Structure of the Service

The Service is divided into four teams, supervised by four Senior Education Welfare Officers. Education Welfare Officers are school based in term time and have a central base during school holidays. There is one Principal Education Welfare Officer based at the central office. Administrative staff provide support to the Service.

National Context

This document is drawn up in accordance with the recommendations of the Association for Education Welfare Management (AEWM) and the National Association of Social Workers in Education (NASWE).

Introduction

The Education Welfare Service is a specialist education support service which works in partnership with schools, the Local Education Authority and other agencies, to provide an effective and quality accountable service to young people and their families in accordance with professional standards. To this end, the Education Welfare Service works in partnership with children and young people, their families, schools, the Local Education Authority and other statutory and voluntary agencies.

Key Principles

• Education through regular and beneficial attendance at school, or otherwise should be actively promoted.
• The Education Welfare Service has a duty to protect children and young people from abuse and exploitation.
• Children and young people who are not able to benefit from mainstream educational provision are entitled to access support from the Education Welfare Service.
• The Education Welfare Service is committed to the provision of services and support of all children and young people.
• Effective communication and joint working with other professionals and organisations should be promoted.
• The Education Welfare Service maintains that children and young people are individuals in their own right and of equal worth whatever their race, culture, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, disability, social background, or special educational needs.
• Members of the Service have a professional responsibility to respect the rights and dignity of all individuals, acknowledging their entitlement to confidentiality and self determination, and to uphold the United National Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• Education and vocational information and guidance should be available and accessible to all children and young people.
• It is an aim to achieve a fully qualified service.
• The Education Welfare Service has a duty to challenge practices that do not accord with these principles.

Operational Practice

• The Education Welfare Service will assist parents, schools and the Local Education Authority to meet the duties placed on them by legislation.
• We will facilitate communication between schools, families, other services and the community.

Right to Information

• We acknowledge the right of the service users to advise and support, and to access the services to which they are entitled.
• We will attempt to represent the views of the young person or their family where they are unable to do so.

Confidentiality

• We will not disclose information entrusted to use without the knowledge of the service user, unless not to do so would place the child or young person at risk.
• The Education Welfare Service will work in partnership with it's service users, and will promote open access to information where appropriate.

Anti Discriminatory Practice

• The service will be provided equitably, according to needs, without account of race, culture, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability or social background.
• We will confront discrimination where it arises.

Record Keeping and Access to Information

We aim:

• to operate a co-ordinated and consistent approach to referral, recording and reporting systems.
• to recognise the need for objectively, accuracy and confidentiality where appropriate.
• to recognise the requirements of both the legislation and the underlying principles related to data protection, access to personal files and pupil records.
• to collate, analyse, interpret, and present data on issues relating to relevant aspects of Education Welfare Service work.

Case and Workload Management

We aim:

•  to establish a case management policy which incorporates a formal referral system.
• to establish a system for case management which incorporates assessment, planning, monitoring and evaluation.
• to establish and maintain clear systems for assessment, planning, monitoring and the evaluation of workloads, including self-evaluation, appraisal, and also feedback from service users.
• to establish access to effective supervision and support from a line manager.
• to establish a system for closing cases.

Intervention

We aim:

• to facilitate the process of intervention through a full assessment of needs and consideration of the resources and methods available.
• to make appropriate use of legal proceedings as part of a planned intervention.
• to empower families where they seek to resolve their own difficulties.
• to assist children and young people in maximising their educational opportunities.

Training and Professional Development

• The Service recognises that a course, leading to a professional social work qualification as validated by the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work (CCETSW) provides a basic minimum level of training.

Other courses offering full qualifying training to staff in the Education Welfare Service must be at an academic and professional level not less than the Diploma in Social Work. There will also be a need for part qualifying opportunities which should be validated by a UK Higher (HE) Institution.

Post qualifying opportunities should also be available as recognised by CDETSW or a UK HE Institution.

• We believe that a programme of professional development is essential to provide an effective work-force and to ensure consistent standards of service delivery, against a background of changing needs and expectations.

• We believe that staff development programmes should include provision for the evaluation of performance and attainment of objectives in areas of work which affect personal development.
  
• We recognise the importance of induction programmes for newly appointed and promoted staff.
  
• We acknowledge that the Education Welfare Service competencies, which have been set by the Training Advisory Group (TAG), and are referred to in the DfEE Social Inclusion, Pupil Support guidance underpin professional development programmes.

July 1999