Children with a social worker

Information and resources for social workers, education settings, parents/carers and other agencies.

The Virtual School has a duty to promote the education of children subject to a Child in Need plan or a Child Protection plan aged from 0 up to 18 in educational settings and those who have previously had a social worker. This includes children who are disabled and have, or have had, an allocated social worker.

For guidance on the Virtual School's extended duty to promote the education of children with a social worker, read this page on GOV.UK

The Government’s Children in Need review (2019) identified for the first time that 1.6 million children - the equivalent to 1 in 10 children or three children in every classroom - needed a social worker.

On average, children with a social worker do worse than their peers at every stage of their education. Some children with a social worker go on to become looked after.

Children with a social worker are around three times more likely to be persistently absent from school and between two to four times more likely to be permanently excluded from school than their peers.

With the proper support, the aspirations of these children can be raised, and they can go on to achieve more than their peers

It is the Virtual School’s role to: It is not the Virtual School’s role to:
  • champion the educational attendance, attainment, and progress of children with a social worker. 
  • work with individual children and their families;
  • respond to requests from parents or carers to offer advice, intervention and support
  • take responsibility for all children with SEND unless they have or have had a social worker.

Advice and guidance for social workers, early help workers, education settings, parents/carers and other agencies

Children with social workers have been identified as a group of children who face significant barriers to education as a result of experiences of adversity, most commonly abuse and neglect.  These are known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES). This has been recognised by the government and measures have been put in place to provide support children with a social worker.

Children with a social worker should have access to the following support:

Regularly attending school, education or college is vital for children’s educational progress, their wellbeing, and their wider development.  Children and young people become more vulnerable when they are not in education every day.  Children of statutory school age should be in education 25 hours a week. Refer to guidance on reintegration timetables

Disruptive behaviour or sudden changes in behaviour can be an indication of unmet needs or a change in another aspect of a young person’s life.  Relationship-based and restorative approaches are most effective for supporting children’s emotional regulation. Refer to Restorative Practice webpage.

Children with a social worker are more likely to experience social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) issues than their peers. For these children and young people, we insist that the SDQ assessment (xls format) is used by school staff to diagnose their SEMH needs and devise/implement a needs-based intervention plan. Many schools have a Senior Mental Health Lead for making links with mental health services. Refer to Mental health and wellbeing for more information and links to available support.

Some children with a social worker may have a Special Education Need or Disability (SEND).  Education settings have a duty to use their best endeavours to meet the educational needs of children with SEND.  Education settings have a duty to use their best endeavours to meet the educational needs of children with SEND and should have made contact with the relevant SENSS team, if appropriate. For more information visit the following webpages Special educational needs and disability: The local offer,Guidance and policies about SEN and disability and the SEN Ordinarily Available Toolkit (pdf format, 1.4Mb)

The drop-down tabs below provide specific information to support social workers, parents/carers and educational settings in understanding what children with a social worker are entitled to.  Users will also find links to useful resources.

Social workers and early help workers

  • The Virtual School offers drop-in sessions for allocated workers supporting children subject to a Child in Need plan or a Child Protection plan aged from 0 up to 18 in educational settings and those who have previously had a social worker. If you need support with any cases with long-standing issues regarding attendance/engagement, please complete (a few quick bullet points) this referral form (docx format, 15Kb) and email it to laura.east@oxfordshire.gov.uk - you will then be invited to a drop-in session where education professionals will seek to support you in overcoming the barriers to engagement in education. 
  • The following training is available via the Learning Zone to colleagues in Children's Social Care:
    • Education, health and care (EHC) needs assessments and plans (E-Learning)
    • The role of social care in SEND
    • Education as a protective factor
    • Restorative Practice 1-day (introductory) course
  • Oxfordshire Practitioner Resource Exchange - Practitioner pages from Oxfordshire’s Family Information Service for all professionals working with children, young people and families in Oxfordshire.  The Family Information Service offer a brokerage service and can identify educational provision for children – for more information, visit: Oxfordshire Family Information Service (OxonFIS)
  • Schools – Term dates and holidays, applying for a school place, travel to school, starting school, attendance, school meals and much more.
  • School attendance briefing for Local Authority Officers (video) - 30-min school attendance briefing for Local Authority Officers which covers the government's stance on school attendance, the Local Authority's statutory duties and advice on what you can do to overcome barriers to school attendance - things to think about and sources of support
  • Emotionally-Based School Avoidance – Primary
  • Emotionally-Based School Avoidance - Secondary
  • Educational Psychology Service - Educational Psychologists are highly skilled professionals who help people to understand how they think, feel, learn and behave.  They work with children and young people aged 0-25 in a range of settings, including nurseries, mainstream schools, special schools and colleges.  Their work can be undertaken at the individual, class or whole-school level.  Oxfordshire’s Educational Psychology Service is available to Oxfordshire Schools on a traded basis.  Parents who have concerns about their child’s progress should discuss this with the school SENCO in the first instance.  Refer to this webpage for more information and to access useful resources.
  • Mental Health and Wellbeing – Local sources of support.
  • SENSS
  • SEND Local Offer
  • School Readiness
  • 50 Things to do Before You’re Five
  • Early Years Advisory Team
  • Learner Engagement Service – Advice and support with school attendance, suspensions and exclusions, Alternative Provision, Elective Home Education, Children Missing Education, Child Performance Licensing and Work Permits.

Parents/Carers

Educational Settings

Training

To access training that will support you in your work with children with a social worker, go to our Virtual School for looked after children and care leavers page

More information

What support should be available for children with a social worker to help them 'catch up' academically?

Summary of essential educatinfoon irmation (docx format, 51Kb) for professionals working with children in Oxfordshire (not schools)

National Tutoring Programme: Continuing for 2022/23 with £349 million of tutoring funding going directly to schools. Schools that are currently working with Tuition Partners will be able to continue to do so in 2022/23. Similarly, eligible schools can continue to employ Academic 20 Mentors who are on their staff this year and will also still be able to recruit Academic Mentors directly.

The Government announced an additional £1bn to extend the recovery premium over the academic years (22/23 and 23/24). Primary schools will continue to benefit from an additional c.£145 per eligible pupil, with nearly double that amount in secondary schools.

I need to find a suitable educational provision for a child with a social worker, what should I know and who can help me?

Educational provision should mean a full-time place.

Educational settings judged by Ofsted to be ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ should be prioritised when seeking a place for vulnerable children. For help with this, visit: https://www.watchsted.com/. Unless there are exceptional evidence-based reasons, vulnerable children should never be placed in a setting judged by Ofsted to be ‘inadequate’. When consideration is given to settings judged ‘Requiring Improvement’, Local Authority officers should have evidence that the setting is providing high-quality support to their vulnerable pupils and will enable a child to make maximum progress before placing them in that setting.

The choice of the education setting should be based on what any good parent would want for their child. It should be based on evidence that the setting can meet the educational needs of the child and help them make maximum progress,

The child’s wishes and feelings should be taken into account, and the suitability of the education setting tested by arranging an informal visit with the child.

Where a child with a social worker would benefit from attending a boarding school, either in the state or independent sector, Local Authority officers should be proactive in considering this option.

Social workers, IROs, admission officers for the schools maintained by the local authority and SEND departments must understand and comply with the requirements in:

For help with Oxfordshire school admissions, call 0345 2412487.

You might also wish to consult the Virtual School for information and advice on 01865 328550 or virtualschool.lac@oxfordshire.gov.uk and must refer to the SEN Local Offer for any children with an Education, Health and Care Plan.

Additional sources of support and information