Elective Home Education
1. In England, while education is compulsory for all school-age children, the provision of education in a school setting is not. The responsibility for ensuring that children receive a ‘suitable’ and ‘efficient’ education rests with parents.
Local authorities have limited powers and responsibilities in relation to children who are educated at home, although they are required to intervene if they have reason to believe that parents are not providing a suitable education or, as with all other children, there are concerns about their safety, welfare or development.
Once a child is removed from the school roll and the parents start to educate their child at home, there is ‘no obligation for parents to give the local authority access to their home and parents may choose to meet the LA officer at home or a neutral location’. ( Safeguarding Children in Education, DfES 2004). Furthermore, ‘it is not necessary for the LA officer to see the child on these visits’.
2. However local authorities and all agencies and professionals who have contact with children do have a responsibility to proactively safeguard and promote their welfare.
Most parents who decide to educate their children at home will have good and valid reasons for doing so. Some parents may feel that their child’s needs are not being met within the mainstream curriculum. Others may feel that they can better meet the needs of a child who has special educational needs. Others may see home education as an answer to difficulties their child has experienced at school, such as bullying.
It is also the case, however, highlighted in recent serious case reviews in the region, that parents may choose to educate their children at home because they are mistreating the children and want to avoid the scrutiny of professionals/agencies.
Being out of school means the child does not have the routine monitoring of their welfare and day to day contact with a range of professionals that is afforded to children at school. Sometimes home educated children also do not have access to usual universal and specialist health and other services.
Children who are home educated may be taught by other adults. Not all parents will exercise their responsibility to ensure that employment checks, including CRB checks have been carried out.
3. Thus all practitioners who are aware of, and/or are in contact with home educated children need to recognise their potential vulnerability to abuse and respond proactively to any concerns that the child’s welfare is not being safeguarded and promoted.
What to do if you have welfare concerns about a child who is home educated
- When a child is withdrawn from school where there is a history of concerns regarding the care of the child, and it is felt that the child’s absence from school increases the level of concern, this information should be discussed with the appropriate children’s services (the education department or Children’s Social Care)
- Any professional who has difficulty gaining access to a child who is being home educated should be alert to the possibility that the child’s welfare may not be being safeguarded and promoted and discuss this with Children’s Social Care
- Any professional who does have contact with children educated at home and who has reason to believe that their welfare is not being safeguarded or promoted should discuss with Children’s Social Care.
- Where it is felt a child or children may be at risk of significant harm a referral should be made to Children’s Social Care following the usual procedures.
