Improving Safety and Accountability for Vulnerable Children

Gaps in the way schools record and monitor attendance, and pupil movements, mean that some children effectively disappear from the system which can put them at greater risk of exploitation, neglect, or harm.

Some concerns raised are -

• Children who move between schools, are home educated, or leave mainstream education are not always consistently tracked.

• Vulnerable groups such as those in care, those with SEND, or those who are living in poverty can easily fall through the cracks.

• Lack of clear accountability means no one always knows who is responsible for following up when a child is missing from education.

• Inconsistency in different local authority areas

Recommendations include:

• Strengthening the school census to give a fuller picture of where every child is and whether they are receiving a safe and suitable education.

• Ensuring better data sharing across schools, local authorities, and safeguarding professionals such as Ofsted, DBS, LADOS, Police and local authorities.

• Clearer lines of accountability, so no child is left unmonitored.

• Making attendance and pupil movement data more transparent, helping to spot risks earlier.

• LADO should be totally independent.

A stronger, more accountable school census would make it harder for any child to simply go missing from education and help agencies step in sooner to provide support.

Ultimately, if children are not visible in education records, they can be more vulnerable to harm. The Children’s Commissioner is calling for a system that works better.

The full report can be found here

Safeguarding Network materials on children missing in education can be found here.