Education Welfare Officers Research Articles

The outcomes of educational welfare officer contact in England

The key purpose of educational welfare officers in England is to support students and parents to maximise educational opportunities for young people. However more is known about their role in relation to school attendance than in relation to pupils’ educational outcomes. Using the Longitudinal Survey of Young People in England (LSYPE), this paper investigates the characteristics of teenagers who received educational welfare contact because of their behaviour between 2004 and 2006. With observational data it is often difficult to isolate respondents exposed to a particular intervention or ‘treatment’, because of non‐random allocation. We address this using inverse‐probability‐weighted regression adjustment (IPWRA) to estimate more accurately the effect of educational welfare contact on outcomes of educational achievement and aspiration. Our findings indicate that young people who had educational welfare contact because of their behaviour were less likely to apply to university, less confident in university acceptance if they applied and had lower odds of achieving five General Certificate of Secondary Education at grades A*–C, the government benchmark for education achievement at age 16. We discuss the limitations we face and implications of these findings for future research.

Can a targeted, group-based CBT intervention reduce depression and anxiety and improve self-concept in primary-age children?

This pilot study examined the impact of a 10 session, group-based, early-intervention cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) programme (Cool Connections) on anxiety, depression and self-concept in nine 8–11 year old pupils in Northern Ireland. The intervention was facilitated by a teacher, education welfare officer and two classroom assistants, with support from the school’s educational psychologist. A group of pupils identified by teachers as presenting with symptoms of anxiety and depression or low self-esteem and who scored in the mild, moderate or severe range of difficulties on the Beck Youth Inventories took part. Findings indicate statistically significant improvements in both anxiety (t(8) = −3.29, p < 0.017) and depression (t(8) = −3.06, p < 0.017) but not self-concept (t(8) = 2.63, p = 0.030). The article concludes with strengths and limitations of the current study, professional reflections on implementing a multi-agency, group-based, CBT intervention and implications for future research and educational psychology practice.

Family Group Conferences—are they an effective and viable way of working with attendance and behaviour problems in schools?

Improving pupil attendance and behaviour are essential to improving teaching and learning in schools. Pupils who have the most problems in these respects are likely to need support that recognises the wider influences on these issues. Family Group Conferences (FGCs) are family‐led decision‐making meetings, that include the family and significant others in the formulation of a plan to help address the needs of a child. The research reported upon here included a quasi‐experimental element in the design in which levels of attendance and school exclusion were key before and after outcomes for the intervention (FGC) and comparison (Education Welfare Service, EWS) groups. The research shows that attendance and exclusion data did not improve in the FGC group but that the comparative gains made in attendance by the EWS were very modest. Nevertheless, responses to the survey of referral agents and interviews with Educational Welfare Officers and FGC coordinators suggest that FGCs are considered to be a viable approach in schools that may be effective in individual cases.

The Initial Qualifications, Induction and In‐Service Needs of Education Social Workers in Wales1

This paper presents an analytical evaluation of the initial entry qualifications, induction and in‐service requirements of education welfare officers (EWO)/education social workers (ESW) in Wales. These data were obtained from a sponsored research project funded by the Welsh Assembly Government conducted on a pan‐Wales basis. The findings indicate that only five local education authorities (LEAs) in Wales presently require social work qualifications for entry to the service. A majority of staff in the remaining LEAs tend to hold low level qualifications. Whilst induction practices vary between LEAs, better and improved practice is beginning to emerge. Similarly, the in‐service needs of ESW/EWS staff are not normally analysed systematically. Therefore, a variety of different approaches are used within LEAs to meet the in‐service needs of education welfare/social work staff. Some examples of good practice are postulated. Recommendations to improve the induction, initial training and in‐service requirements of staff in Wales are made alongside the need for further research.

Children at Risk from Domestic Violence and their Educational Attainment: Perspectives of Education Welfare Officers, Social Workers and Teachers

Children who witness domestic violence may have impaired educational attainment as well as facing other challenges such as struggles with self-esteem and forming relationships. This qualitative study set in Northern Ireland explored the perceptions of Education Welfare Officers, child protection social workers and teachers in post-primary schools regarding the impact of domestic violence on schooling and educational attainment, and of service responses to this. The survey used semi-structured interviews with four professionals in each of the above categories. Findings confirmed the major effect that domestic violence can have on children's schooling and relationships. Two typical types of responses by children were identified: those who became quiet and withdrawn, and those who became loud and aggressive. There seemed to have been progress in terms of professional understanding and service responses regarding domestic violence, but there seemed to be limited structured cooperation between the professional groups in addressing the effects of domestic violence on children. Sharing of information is hindered by confidentiality issues, some of which might be addressed by integrated teams of appropriate professionals. Greater investment in inter-agency training and development of the preventive role of the Education Welfare Service are recommended.

Reducing Jason's Disruptive Behaviour

Sian Ellis, teacher in charge, and Carole Blake, support teacher, Tower Hamlets School Support Team, describe their five-point procedure for reducing the disruptive behaviour of a six-year-old boy in a London primary school. The Tower Hamlets School Support Team, set up in 1979 as part of the Inner London Education Authority's response to disruptive behaviour, consists of 12 teachers, a teacher in charge, an educational psychologist, a senior education welfare officer and a clerical officer. The team uses a theoretical analysis and model of work based on those developed by David Lane and his colleagues at the Islington Educational Guidance Centre.

An evaluation of the views of secondary staff towards school attendance issues

This study is the first of its kind to concentrate upon the views of secondary staff towards attendance issues within two distinct, but similarly‐sized, authorities in England. The fieldwork was sponsored by the two authorities in accordance with their specific needs and conducted in 2003. As part of this fieldwork, 40 headteachers, deputy heads, middle managers and form tutors (n = 160) each were interviewed from the same schools in groups on different occasions. The findings from these interviews are then presented and discussed, and conclusions drawn. It is suggested that these data may provide significant insights into attendance issues for other Local Education Authorities (LEAs) and secondary staff as well as for all those with an interest in improving school attendance such as education welfare officers, attendance officers, learning mentors, home–school liaison officers, advisers, school improvement staff as well as interested parents, researchers and policy makers.

Raising school attendance: a case study of good practice in monitoring and raising standards

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to discuss the issue of managing and reducing school absenteeism and truancy.Design/methodology/approachThe article proposes the development and implementation of some long‐term strategic approaches to tackling truancy and other forms of non‐attendance from school. This article focuses on the innovative School‐Based Scheme (SBS).FindingsThe article proposes methods which are relatively easy to organise, implement, monitor and evaluate. It can be used in both primary and secondary schools and/or throughout all schools within a local education authority.Research limitations/implicationsPreliminary evaluations suggest that it has improved attendance rates by over 4 per cent throughout all schools in one local education authority (LEA).Practical implicationsA high proportion of schools throughout England and Wales are below the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) targets either for overall levels of attendance, or for levels of authorised or unauthorised absence within both the primary and secondary sectors. The approaches proposed would address such issues.Originality/valueIt is hoped that the article will be of particular interest and help to head teachers, senior and middle management in schools, learning mentors, classroom assistants, home‐school liaison officers, principal and senior education welfare officers and appropriate local education authority staff, especially those pastoral and management staff who have day‐to‐day dealings with pupils like absentees and truants.

The professional development needs of education welfare officers on the management of school attendance

This article is based upon an analysis of a questionnaire sent to 431 education welfare officers throughout local education authorities in England and Wales and follow‐up interviews with 59 (13.7%) of the respondents. The questionnaire focused upon profiling the initial induction and continuing professional development needs of the staff. The review of the literature and findings are considered in the context of the changing role and responsibilities of the Education Welfare Service, which has evolved from being a service primarily dealing with pupils’ school attendance to one whose functions often include such issues as managing exclusion, parenting orders, child protection, antisocial behaviour, licensing and child employment, criminal review board checks, alternative curriculum and out‐of‐school placements, health and safety, risk assessments, responsibility for travellers’ children and asylum seekers, bullying, aspects of special educational needs, home tuition, home carers and escort duties, among a range of related issues. The implications of the findings for the Service and for the initial and professional development needs of staff are considered and some new ideas postulated. Three brief illustrative case studies have also been included.

The Role of Educational Psychologists in Child Protection

This study explores the current involvement of educational psychologists (EPs) in child protection issues and practice. Three sources were surveyed by postal questionnaire and semi‐structured interviews. Phase A of the study involved surveying 100 principal educational psychologists. Phase B involved interviewing 19 EPs with specialist responsibility for child protection. In Phase C, 11 senior social workers and 11 senior educational welfare officers were surveyed. The results indicate that EPs are becoming increasingly involved in the area of child protection and in developing multi‐disciplinary links. There is an increasing expectation from both social workers and educational welfare officers that EPs do have skills, although insufficiently utilised, to offer in this area.

The use of legal proceedings in cases of non‐attendance at school: perceptions of Education Welfare Officers

Summary The research to which reference is made within this short report formed the initial stage of a project designed to consider the views of various concerned parties towards the use of legal action in cases of non‐attendance at school. Within this primary phase of the research, particular emphasis was placed on the views of Education Welfare Officers (EWOs), since, as integral players in the implementation of attendance‐related legal proceedings, it was felt that their attitudes must inevitably impinge on the manner in which, and the extent to which, this form of intervention is employed. Group and individual interviews were carried out in order to ascertain the perceptions of officers within one county's Education Welfare Service. Questionnaires were then used to collect statistical data regarding the extent to which those officers had previously employed, and were currently engaged in, the legal process within their routine casework. Wide‐ranging views were found to be evident, with some officers believing legal action to be a valuable tool, whilst others were strongly opposed to its use. Consideration was therefore given to the implications of these differing views on the future work of the Education Welfare Service.

Professional Models of School Absence Associated with Home Responsibilities

It has been estimated that 10% of all school absence is due to children undertaking duties associated with their homes. Despite this, the phenomenon remains under‐researched. In this study, qualitative interviews with three groups of professionals concerned with absence due to home responsibilities (teachers, education welfare officers and educational therapists) are reported. The discourses of these professionals were analysed in terms of their perspectives on prevalence, models and solutions to absence due to home responsibilities. Teachers saw a solution in educating parents concerning the value of schooling. Education welfare officers saw a need to address the wider problems faced by some families. The therapists identified underlying psychodynamic issues which need to be resolved. It is hypothesised that this disagreement has led to a failure to create a ‘master discourse’ on this phenomenon and how it might be resolved, and consequently it has not been constructed as a ‘social problem’.

Health and social work: Working with gypsies and travellers

Abstract This practice account explores three interwoven themes: work with Gypsies and Travellers; the relationship of health promotion and social work; and a model of social work which extends beyond casework into groupwork, interagency work and community work. The latter strands, of content and of method, were responses both at a pragmatic level to the shocking living conditions of Gypsies and Travellers, and from a value perspective were an attempt to work from a commitment to human rights and anti-discriminatory practice. The article focuses on the work of the author while employed as a Specialist Education Welfare Officer (SEWO) with Gypsies and Travellers between 1988 and 1991. It explores how the work widened from an educational social work focus, and the role of health promotion within this wider span.

Local Education Authorities’ Responses to Education Otherwise

While it has been legally acceptable for parents to educate their own children at home (not using a school system), successive Education Acts have bestowed certain statutory obligations on Local Education Authorities (LEAs) to ensure that the education received by a home‐educated child is actually appropriate. Several issues are discussed including the legal position and the apparent problem LEAs have in issuing guidelines to their Education Welfare Officers and Advisers which take into account legal precedents. The article demonstrates that LEAs, without instructions or visible interest from the Department of Education and Science, are left to formulate policy and strategies for monitoring home education by themselves which appears to lead to a considerable degree of inconsistency and even confusion, all of which can place an intolerable strain on parents who home educate as they are confronted with their LEA's demands, which are often unjustified.

The effectiveness of home visits by an education welfare officer in treating school attendance problems

The effectiveness of home visits by an education welfare officer in treating school attendance problems

Management of epilepsy in schools.

Ninety two school children in south east London aged 5-15 years and with a diagnosis of epilepsy were identified from the Handicap register kept by the community child health services. Medical information was obtained from hospital discharge summaries. Information about support services for these children and their families by psychiatrists, physiotherapists, educational psychologists, educational welfare officers, and social workers was obtained from questionnaires completed by school doctors and from school medical records. There was a significant increase in the use made of these support services by epileptic children placed in special schools compared with those attending ordinary schools. This is probably due to the additional disabilities of the former (mental subnormality, cerebral palsy etc) rather than epilepsy per se, as there was no significant difference in seizure frequency between the two groups of children.

Family consultation in a school setting

This paper describes a type of brief, focused intervention involving the family, which has been found useful with pupils in secondary schools referred to an educational psychologist. This “family consultation” runs parallel to the “school consultation’ which the educational psychologist will engage in with teachers and educational welfare officers, and sometimes overlaps when joint sessions are arranged.The consultation is, usually limited to one full interview with the family and takes place at school. School staff remain fully involved with the referral and follow‐up is facilitated by the psychologist's regular contact with the school. Two examples are given illustrating different degrees of enmeshment between family and school systems. Some intervention techniques are described.

School Attendance Following Legal or Administrative Action for Unauthorised Absence

ABSTRACT Children whose unauthorised absence from school leads to legal action by the Local Education Authority generally live in socially disadvantaged areas, and belong to families experiencing financial hardship. Attendance following legal action frequently remains extremely poor, though there is some evidence that a planned change of school may help. Informal intervention by Education Welfare Officers may be associated with better subsequent attendance than legal action.

The role of an education welfare officer in two contrasting schools

Abstract Observation of the role relations between an education welfare officer and the senior staff of two schools (particularly the heads) underlines the extent to which the EWO's opportunity to undertake effective social work is facilitated or denied by schools. She does not enjoy freedom of professional self determination; nor does the education welfare service itself. Thus the implementation of the Seebohm/Plowden conception of the EWO as a social worker is heavily dependent upon the willingness of heads to use them in this way and to offer them the necessary support.

The role of an education welfare officer in two contrasting schools

The role of an education welfare officer in two contrasting schools