Children with a Social Worker (CWSW)

Section outline

• Select section Children with a Social Worker (CWSW)

  Collapse Expand

  Children with a Social Worker (CWSW)

  Collapse all Expand all

  This brief video outlines key information about children with a social worker and how social workers can best support their education. 

  Supporting the Education of Children with a Social Worker

  From September 2021, the Virtual School Head’s role has been extended to include the strategic leadership of promoting the educational outcomes of all children and young people with a social worker, or those who have had a support of a social worker in the past six years. It covers all children who are or were assessed as needing a social worker at any time in the past six years due to safeguarding and/or welfare reasons, which includes all those subject to a Child in Need plan or a Child Protection plan. This includes children aged from 0 up to 18 in all education settings.

  Key Aims

  • Make visible the disadvantages that children with a social worker can experience, enhancing partnerships between education settings and local authorities to help all agencies hold high aspirations for these children
  • Promote practice that supports children’s engagement in education (avoiding absence, suspensions and exclusions), recognising that attending an education setting can be an important factor in helping to keep children safe from harm
  • Level up children’s outcomes and narrow the attainment gap.

  Click here to access important resources, including:

  • Virtual School Guide to PEPs, Statutory Duties and More
  • Education Support Plans
  • The PEP Toolkit
  • Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQs)
  • Reach to Teach App
  • Attendance, Suspensions and Exclusions
    

  
  
• Select section Your Role as a Social Worker

  Collapse Expand

  Your Role as a Social Worker

  • Ensure the strongest communication and collaboration possible with the wide range of staff and other agencies involved (e.g. class teacher/form tutor, DSL, DT, SENCo, etc)
  • Prioritise attendance as a safeguarding issue
  • Ensure relationships and child and parent/carer voice are at the centre of any approach

  • Select activity FAQs for Children with a Social Worker

    

    FAQs for Children with a Social Worker File PDF
  • Select activity Label

    
    

  • Select activity Signposting to External Agencies - Areas Covered Include: Safeguarding, Trauma, SEND, Health and Wellbeing Roles and Responsibilities

    

    Signposting to External Agencies - Areas Covered Include: Safeguarding, Trauma, SEND, Health and Wellbeing Roles and Responsibilities File PDF
  • Select activity Label

    
    

• Select section Responsibilities of Schools and Education Settings

  Collapse Expand

  Responsibilities of Schools and Education Settings

  • Identify and know their CWSW and CWSW EVER 6 cohort
  • key colleagues (DSL, DT, SENDCO, key worker) to liaise and collaborate to ensure consistency in support for CWSW and CWSW EVER 6
  • Identify and understand the barriers and needs for this group of children
  • Ensure prioritisation of the cohort and targeted response
  • Ensure relationships and pupil voice are at the centre of any approach
  • Utilise wider support and partnerships
• Select section Virtual School Support

  Collapse Expand

  Virtual School Support

  • Enhancing partnerships between schools and social care
  • Training and development offer to schools & partners
  • Targeted data informed interventions / projects
  • Providing advice and guidance
  • Free tools, resources and information

   Virtual school heads are not being asked to:

  • work with individual children who have, or have had, a social worker or their families - including tracking and monitoring educational progress of individual children or providing academic or other interventions
  • respond to requests from parents or carers to offer advice, intervention and support in relation to individual children with a social worker
  • take responsibility for children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) who do not require or need a social worker, as defined above.
• Select section Key Documents

  Collapse Expand

  Key Documents

  • Promoting the education of children with a social worker and children in kinship care arrangements: virtual school head role extension
  • Get extra funding for your early years provider - GOV.UK
  • Help, protection, education: concluding the Children in Need review