Social workers placed in schools to help identify children at risk
SOCIAL WORKERS will be placed in schools across the country to help identify children at risk of abuse and neglect, the Government has announced.
Nearly £10m in Department for Education funding has been announced for projects aimed at boosting the educational outcomes of vulnerable children and keeping them safe from harm.
Of this package, £6.5m will be allocated to What Works for Children’s Social Care who will deploy social workers in more than 150 schools to help staff spot the signs of children at risk more quickly.
It follows figures showing police have seen a rise in domestic abuse during the lockdown.
Charities have called for investment in children’s services to stop families reaching crisis point after coronavirus.
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “The stark reality is that too many children are growing up at risk of abuse, neglect and exploitation. These are the most vulnerable in society,
He said that too many children were growing up at risk of abuse.
and the ones that most need our help. For these children, schools offer a safe space to get support, develop resilience and fulfil their potential.
“That is why, as schools begin opening more widely and we look to the future, we must take all the steps we can to protect these children. By bringing social workers into schools we can spot the warning signs more quickly.”
Some English schools have police officers attached to them as part of safer school partnerships, but it is unusual for social workers to be deployed into schools.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “Schools, colleges, and their staff shoulder a huge responsibility in watching out for and acting on signs of children and young people being at risk, and they rise to this challenge with great judgment, skill, and care.
“We are sure they will welcome the assistance of social workers being on site to provide direct support, particularly post the Covid-19 crisis when it is sadly very likely that we will see increased numbers of children at risk as a result of the multiple pressures of this emergency situation.”
It comes after the Government said new plans could see domestic abuse victims given a codeword to help them escape from immediate danger and alert others to their plight.