Introduction

The lead professional for the purposes of this guidance

The local authority’s main statutory duties for implementing parental responsibility measures following persistent non-attendance or permanent exclusion are held within the FEH Education Inclusion Team (EIT). The EIT provides guidance and advice to schools, families and professionals on exclusions, penalty notices, managed moves and undertakes statutory enforcement functions around school attendance.

Such measures are only deployed as a last resort in the most intractable cases. Prior to this stage, schools, families and the networks around them will need clarity with regard to who is responsible for coordinating prevention and early intervention plans. Following the core principle that keeping children in education is everyone’s business, the lead responsibility for assessment, planning and intervening in relation to school attendance and inclusion will usually be held by the following professionals:

1. Where a family is being supported by universal services at Tier 1, the school or schools will continue to lead with the support of the Family Early Help SPOC, requesting support and guidance from the EIT as appropriate in the use of parental responsibility measures, and gathering evidence for the education legal planning process where escalation is necessary
2. Where a family is open to a FEH practitioner for ‘whole family’ work at Tier 2, or the Youth Offending Service (YOS) for prevention or statutory intervention, the allocated practitioner will hold responsibility for assessing and intervening in relation to attendance and behaviour issues, and escalating cases for statutory intervention with the EIT, in consultation with schools via a team around the family approach; if a child is open to both services, FEH will take the lead responsibility with support from the YOS
3. Where a family is open to children’s social care as a child in need of help or protection at Tier 3 or 4, the social worker will act as lead professional for attendance and inclusion in conjunction with the school, and will be responsible for escalating cases for statutory intervention with the EIT; every social work assessment and plan must include education needs as a core component of the wider support and intervention offered to a family

The lead professional will be required to coordinate assessment, planning and intervention in relation to school attendance and inclusion following the three-stage approach set out below.

The decision to escalate to enforcement action is impacted by a range of complex factors and is never an easy option to take. Such action may be strongly resisted by parents and other professionals, and impact working relationships with families in the short term. However, providing sufficient opportunity has been given for parents to work with services voluntarily, considerations of parental engagement should not be given priority over the educational welfare of vulnerable children, or prevent statutory action to ensure school attendance. The team around the family has a duty to ensure fair and proportionate decision-making, but also to deliver practice that is consistent with the statutory responsibilities of the local authority in such matters.

Council officers located in different agencies should be mindful of the need to promote a coordinated local authority approach in supporting children with poor attendance or behaviour. Where there is a difference of opinion in relation to the most appropriate response (particularly where statutory enforcement action is being considered) that cannot be resolved within existing review and planning mechanisms, practitioners must escalate concerns in a timely way to senior managers for resolution.

In no circumstances should local authority officers - overtly or covertly - undermine other professionals in their own work with a family. Such action damages the credibility and reputation of the council, does little to move towards actual improvement and potentially undermines the local authority’s position should legal action be required in the future.

Page last updated: 16 January 2023