Social workers in integrated teams should be attached to every school

Published by Professional Social Work magazine, 9 March, 2022

A social worker should be part of an integrated team of multi-agency workers linked to every school, BASW England said after new figures revealed one in five pupils across the country regularly fails to attend classes.

Research by England’s Children’s Commissioner estimates nearly 1.8 million pupils are persistently absent, missing more than ten per cent of school sessions.

A further 124,000 pupils failed to turn up for more than half of the last autumn term.

Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said the findings showed a need for urgent action.

She also highlighted a previous ‘Big Ask’ survey giving some of the reasons children were missing school.

She said: “Of course, some families choose to home educate for philosophical reasons and have the resources and ability to do so.

“But many children spoke of the challenges they had faced in school, such as bullying, struggling with anxiety and other mental health needs, of having special educational needs which weren’t being identified or supported.

“These children were out of school not because of choice, but because they hadn’t received the support they need.”

The latest survey found a lack of reliable data on school absences at some authorities. As a result, there were “thousands of children who support services do not have contact with”.

At the end of last year, an education committee of MPs spoke of more than 100,000 “ghost children” who had not returned to school since the pandemic.

The government is currently funding a programme to see what difference having social workers in schools can make.

BASW England national director Maris Stratulis said: “The amount of children missing from schools is hugely concerning and we know it has increased since the pandemic. 

"Having social workers as part of integrated teams including education welfare staff and primary community mental health workers attached to schools could make a huge difference in improving attendance.

“Social workers have the skills to do relational work with children and families and provide the support they need with issues such as bullying, mental health or needs that are not being met.

“They can also enhance connections between the school and families and identify issues that need addressing.

“Social work is a vital service and should be at the heart of all communities. Having social work posts co-located or linked to schools is a good start and would also help reduce stigma and misunderstanding of our job. Ultimately, our role is to work with people to help them overcome difficulties and live their best lives.”

Stratulis stressed it was vital to learn the lessons from the national pilots placing social workers in schools. She said any investment must be “long-term and sustainable” to make a difference.

While established in America, having a social worker in a school is not so commonplace in the UK.

In 2020 the Department for Education gave £6.5 million to a project placing social workers in 150 schools to work with children at risk.

Last March, the Department for Education gave a further £12.6 million to the What Works for Children’s Social Care unit, which included funding to extend the project.