Welfare checks
This One Minute Guide is for education staff and leaders to support their practice and procedures for welfare checks. Such checks are commonly completed when a school or setting has not seen a child for some time, or that they have concerns due to information which has been received from partner agencies or members of the community. There are therefore clear links for any such checks with wider policies or practices including the broader safeguarding policy and attendance protocols.
What is a welfare check?
A welfare check (these can also sometimes be known as a “safe and well check”) is an action taken to assess the safety and well-being of a person, usually a child on roll, though this could be for a parent or carer in certain circumstances who may be at risk of harm. Such checks commonly result due to the child not attending for a period of time and following other failed forms of contact, or where contact has been made, this has resulted in school leaders wishing to instigate a visit to the home of the child to ensure their wellbeing.
Such checks can be due to an ongoing concern such as a child who is not attending for a period of time, or a more overt and even unannounced visit due to a single concern or following a report during the first day of absence.
Prior to making this decision, have leaders or key staff considered the following?
It is important to be clear about the purpose of these calls, and to be prepared for a range of responses. Think about:
Who is the right person to make the call? – preferably someone who knows the child and/or family well and has a trusting relationship with the parent(s) or carer(s). This person should also have a clear understanding of why a visit to the home address may be needed and what assurances are being sought.
Who is the right person at home to call? – probably the principal carer, but remember separated families, and always seek to speak to the child direct whenever possible. There is also sometimes the need to understand how extended family members such as a grandparent may be in a key caring or support role.
Where should the call be made from? – not from the staff member’s private number unless this is unavoidable. Consider how, if there is no answer, you may wish to leave a message that clarifies who you are but does not share any details that could be used to put children or adults at further risk. Such an example where a parent is suffering or believed to be at risk of domestic abuse or violence.
What questions should be asked? – natural, subtle, open enquiries are good starters; How has your week been? What’s the best/most exciting thing you’ve done this week? What are you up to today? How are you getting on with any home learning? etc. With TED (tell me, explain, describe) questions (“Can you tell me more… explain… describe…?) to follow up.
Can we create an eyes-on opportunity that enable a visit to be welcomed? – schools are finding creative ways to do this, such as opportunities to pick up some books from the school library, help with delivering technology or to have something from school delivered to the home that is needed. It’s a good thing anyway to offer the family support in some way in every call.
When visiting, what should staff be curious about in how they evaluate if the child is safe and well?
As the purpose of the call is to carry out a welfare check, be alert to signs and symptoms, especially changes to:
How the parent and/or child are presenting – are they more/less guarded/open/happy/worried than before? Ensure that staff who visit have a full understanding of the broad range of neglect indicators and any recent learning for this topic.
September 2024 – Neglect briefing
Family circumstances – e.g. health (including mental health), employment, finances, relationships, resources. Who else is at home or is reported as visiting including potentially other children or those where possible signs of exploitation are evident.
Risk factors – anything which could place the child at risk of significant harm. Is there any concern around what the child is doing including cooking, unrestricted, unsupervised, or endless use of technology or any caring for others including younger siblings or parents with high levels mental health or physical needs.
Protective factors – anything which could reduce the risks of significant harm occurring. Is an extended family member present?
Attitude and engagement – towards the school, specifically the question of attending/returning to the school. How can a return to school be resolved and what actions can be taken to enable this. What are the barriers to attending and how can these be resolved?
What should be recorded?
Good record keeping is vital – but it is important to balance factual accuracy with the need for concise information. It would therefore be crucial to also summarise any decisions made prior to an attempted visit to have a record of any rationale, reflection on possible risk and protective factors.
Report every call – (however briefly) on your record keeping system – this will help to build a chronology of engagement with the family as this may be essential should there be the need to contact Children’s Social Care or any Early Help provision. Equally, should the child move school, or become electively home educated, such a chronology will be essential for future professionals working with the family.
Trust your professional instinct and curiosity – if something is not sitting comfortably with you, discuss it with your DSL immediately, as they may have a bigger picture around the family.
Escalate concerns as usual – this could include tagging your note as a ‘safeguarding concern’, contacting a child’s social worker, or approaching Front Door for a consultation or enquiry.
Look for patterns and take actions accordingly – periodic safeguarding meetings are key to enable DSLs to monitor vulnerable families.
Staff welfare
Look after yourselves – visits to homes of children enables families to feel supported and can strengthen further positive working with the school. However, ensure that any visit, including the timings are known by school leaders and is risk assessed to consider if the home is safe to enter, or be at the address.
Ensure once the visit is complete, school staff are aware of your safety. Consider before calling at the house if you have a good mobile signal, and if in a rural or isolated situation, should more than one person visit. It would be prudent for a school to have a home-visit protocol which includes a ‘safe visit’ section confirming how this has been considered and addressed and agreed by a senior member of staff.
What if families don’t engage or we can’t see a child?
Using your chronology and any wider information, you should consider the level of known risk that the child or their family is in. Consider how internal discussions could support/inform any thinking and subsequent decisions and how other alternatives such as meeting at a safe, ‘neutral’ venue might be appropriate if visiting the home isn’t possible/welcomed. How could a discussion with an external professional such as through colleagues in Early Help or the consultation line help inform your next steps which could result in an escalation?
Early help contacts for settings
What might be the concerns we have that could mean the Police are needed?
If you have immediate concerns that a child or adult within the home’s life is at risk or significant harm is occurring/likely to occur imminently the police can be called via 999. You will need to explain why you hold the concerns and any actions already taken to mitigate those concerns. The police have powers to enter and search premises as well as to take children into police protection, but they are conditional and an emergency provision.