Safeguarding (EWS)

The local authority have the same safeguarding responsibilities for children educated at home as for other children and should be ready to use safeguarding power appropriately, when warranted.

Under Section 175(1) of the Education Act 2002 Wokingham Borough Council has a duty to safeguard and promote the welfare of children.

“A local education authority shall make arrangements for ensuring that the functions conferred upon them in their capacity as a local education authority are exercised with a view to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children”.

These powers allow a local authority to insist on seeing children in order to enquire about their welfare where there are grounds for concern (sections 17 and 47 of the Children Act 1989).  Wokingham Borough Council recognises that elective home education in itself is not a safeguarding risk.

When a child becomes home educated, Wokingham Borough Council will make every effort to determine whether there are any current safeguarding concerns regarding that child.  The EHE Officer will liaise with other professionals or agencies involved in the safeguarding of the child, such as schools, social care, education welfare, children missing in education, or the special educational needs teams, for example. 

Should the EHE Officer have grounds for concern for the welfare of any child known to Wokingham Borough Council as being home educated, the officer will discuss these with the parents in the first instance.  If appropriate, a referral may be made to social care or other appropriate agency.