Main Responsibilities of the Education Welfare Service:
Promoting regular attendance at school, as described in the rest of this leaflet. Also supporting and advising re-regulations surrounding:
• School Exclusions
• Special Needs
• Child Protection
• Child Employment
• Child Performance
• Chaperones
• Education other than at school
More about the Education Welfare Service (EWS)
The EWS is provided by the Local Education Authority to assist, advise and befriend all parents and children in order to secure regular school attendance.
To do this, it works in partnership with:
• Pupils and their families
• Schools
• Other professionals, e.g. Social Workers, Youth Services,
Educational Psychologist, etc.
The EWS usually gets involved when there are problems at school; often to do with pupils not going to school and/or getting into trouble at school.
The EWS may have to resort to legal proceedings to help solve the problem. This could result in:-
• Parental prosecution
• An application for an Education Supervision Order on the child
• A School Attendance Order
Each School has its own Education Welfare Officer (EWO). What can you expect from your EWO?
The EWO will always aim to:
• Treat you as an individual
• Listen to your views
• Respect your confidences (except when someone is being hurt)
• Consult you at every stage
• Keep appointment
The EWO will:
• Work with you, your parents, and school to try and resolve a problem, and how you are all going to do this.
• Put your interests first. This is not the same as doing everything you or your parent(s) wants.
• Expect you and your parent(s) to agree with any reasonable suggestion made, particularly if you are the subject of an Education Supervision Order.
• Expect to be treated in the same way as he or she treats you.
Child employment guidance
The Education Welfare Service monitors and offers advice concerning child employment. The attached forms may be downloaded for use by parents/guardians/employers for information regarding statutory requirements for the employment of children.
When applying for the necessary permit for 13-16 year olds of a compulsory school age please refer to the documents below and the Child Employment section of the corporate website.