Councillors to consider calls for annual checks on home-educated children
Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter
Councillors will be urged to back calls for home-schooled children to be visited by a council officer and/or health professional at least once a year.
At a Powys County Council meeting on Thursday, October 8, a motion will be put before councillors asking them to support a motion for the “strengthening of safeguarding arrangements for electively home-educated children”.
Figures from earlier this year showed that the number of Electively Home Educated (EHE) children in Powys had risen to 473 – which had “shocked” councillors.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, there were 154 EHE-registered children.
The motion is set to be proposed by Cllr Jeremy Pugh (Powys Independents – Builth) and will be seconded by Cllr Gareth E Jones (Powys Independents – Llanelwedd).
Cllr Pugh said: “Children and young people have the right to be safe, healthy and supported to achieve their full potential, regardless of where they receive their education.
“Council acknowledges the commitment and dedication of many families who successfully elect to home educate their children.
“However, council also recognises that local authorities do not currently have sufficient powers to enforce regular contact with all electively home-educated children or formally verify their wellbeing and welfare.
“As a corporate parent and as a public body with statutory safeguarding responsibilities, PCC has a duty to promote and protect the wellbeing of all children and young people.
“Effective safeguarding requires agencies to be confident that children are visible to services and that concerns can be identified and addressed at the earliest opportunity.”
Cllr Pugh explains that there are now national concerns about the ability of public services to “identify, track and monitor children” who may become vulnerable.
This is especially so when there is “no routine requirement” for them to be seen by a public agency.
Strengthen framework
Cllr Pugh asks councillors to: “Call upon the Welsh Government to strengthen the legislative framework relating to EHE, including introducing a requirement that all electively home-educated children are seen periodically, at least annually, by either a local authority officer and/or health professional to provide assurance regarding their wellbeing, welfare and educational provision.”
The motion continues with a: “call for a national review of information-sharing arrangements between local authorities, health boards and other relevant safeguarding partners, with the aim of establishing a more robust and consistent system for the visibility of children and young people educated at home.
“Request the accelerated development of a nationally consistent framework that enables public services to identify children who may be at risk of becoming disengaged from education, health or other support services.”
The final part of the motion is that the council writes to the First Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Welsh Anna Brychan MS, and the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Equality, Sioned Williams MS.
This letter asks the Plaid Cymru Welsh Government to: “accelerate proposals that strengthen safeguarding arrangements for electively home-educated children and improve multi-agency oversight.”
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Home education is a risk factor for neglect and abuse. It is associated with deviant and alternative lifestyles and often cults. In practical terms, it is unlikely that most parents today will have the time and resources to fund it properly. Children are allowed not to be educated in school hours. It is unlikely to result in a normal socialisation and education of a child. In a county like Powys where remote living is possible the child is more likely not to meet other children of the same age. If home education is not to be banned which i believe… Read more »
Once a year is inadequate to check whether parents are fulfilling their legal duty (under the 1996 Education Act) to ensure their children receive a full-time, suitable education. The number kept at home for education in Wales has grown to 7917 from 2517 ten years ago and parents do not need council permission or accredited qualifications to pull a child from a mainstream school, unless the child has a statement/EHC plan for a special school. They don’t have to follow the National Curriculum and parents must pay the costs including exam fees. The current system is therefore in danger of… Read more »
Actually, the law is very different to what you have stated here- there are lots of current laws in place to enable the council to visit more than once a year IF they suspect anything is untoward. BUT there are so many things wrong with what you stated 1. in law you are innocent until proven otherwise – ergo you cannot suspect (especially with zero evidence) that a parent should be stripped of article 8 of the human rights act! 2. There has never – ever – ever – been a case where a child who was unknown to social… Read more »
Yes well overdue. Think should only be allowed in exceptional cases. Too much possibility of weird upbringing.
This councillor clearly has an issue – firstly, he is not a ‘corporate parent’ of any home-educated child! The councillor needs a lesson in researching a topic before he expresses a view on it. 457 children in a county is a tiny amount, and he should be looking at the reason why parents are choosing to home-educate, NOT blame parents for making a positive choice for them and their families! Without evidence, this just looks like a witch hunt, and if this were any other minority group, this councillor would be scrutinised for such slander.