| It is recommended that
the EWS should no longer have responsibility
for undertaking duties that are not directly
related to the core areas of the service
either on behalf of the board or for schools.
It is recommended that the EWS should produce
an information leaflet for schools, which
clearly sets out the remit of the EWS and
the roles of different grades of officer
with in the service.
6.1 Chief Education
Welfare Officer
It is recommended that the role of the
CEWO is to:
• Undertake strategic planning for
the EWS both within the SELB and as part
of a Chief Education Welfare Group which
includes the CEWOs from the other Boards
and a representative of the Department of
Education.
• Oversee the strategic management
of service delivery to ensure that children,
young people, parents and schools receive
an effective service.
• Manage the SEWOs.
• Develop and implement a staff training
programme which will meet the needs of the
service
• Act as the SELB Designated Officer
for Child Protection and to represent the
Board at the Designated Officers for Child
Protection Group, Southern Area Child Protection
Committee and Children Services Planning
groups.
• Represent the SELB on the Craigavon
Family Proceeding Court Business Committee.
6.2 Senior Education Welfare Officer
It is recommended that the SEWO will be
based in an area office with all or part
of their team13 ,
and their role is to:
• Ensure service delivery of education
welfare to children, parents and schools
within an area team.
• Manage and provide supervision for
a team of EWOs.
• Manage interagency liaison and partnerships
at area team level. This includes representing
the Board on Area Child Protection Panels
and Children Service Planning working groups.
• Manage inter-board casework.
• Advise and assist EWOs with case-work.
• To prepare and present non attendance
cases in the juvenile and family court.
• To represent the SELB on appropriate
interagency fora. This includes representing
the Board at the Juvenile Bureau14 and the Domestic Violence Forum.
6.3 Education
Welfare Officer
An EWO usually has responsibility for a
number of secondary schools and a larger
number of primary schools. It is recommended
that EWOs will have a workload that is broadly
equitable. The allocation of schools to
EWOs is calculated on the number of pupils
in schools with an attendance percentage
of below 85% per annum. Therefore some EWOs
may have one secondary school that produces
a large number of referrals or three secondary
schools that each produce a smaller number
of referrals. It is recommended that the
role of the EWO is:
• To attend school meetings with appropriate
staff to discuss referrals and provide feedback
about work undertaken with individual pupils.
• On receipt of a referral, to contact
parents and interview pupils in order to
make an assessment of the difficulties the
child or young person is experiencing in
relation to school.
• To plan and carry out work with
individual pupils and when appropriate their
families.
• To undertaken with individual work
with pupils.
• To organise group-work with pupils
when appropriate.
• To maintain records of work undertaken.
• To provide reports for and attend
case conferences in relation to child protection
issues.
• To provide reports for and attend
strategy meetings and education planning
meetings.
• To carry out an audit of attendance
in schools once a term to identify pupils
with attendance of less than 85%. Audits
will usually take place in November, March
and May. The EWO will discuss the outcome
of the audit with their school contact.
• To prepare reports for and attend
court in relation to non-attendance cases.
6.4 Specialist
EWO Posts
As a result of the review the SELB has
created three temporary specialist EWO posts
in order to address specific issues and
to pilot an alternative intervention strategy:
• To provide support for Irish Travellers.
• Child Protection.
• School Group Conferencing.15
6.4.1 Irish
Travellers
An extra EWO has been recruited for a two-year
period, based in Newry to allow extra support
to be provided for the Irish Traveller population.
The children and young people among the
Travelling community have been identified
as a group on need of extra support if they
are to be encouraged to participate in education.
Many young people from the traveller community
are persistent non-attenders.
6.4.2 Child
Protection
The review has recommended that an EWO
should be seconded to the Child Protection
Team to contribute to the Board’s child
protection training programme and to provide
support for schools in relation to child
protection issues.
6.4.3 School
Group Conferencing
The review recommended an EWO should be
seconded to a School Group Conferencing
Project funded in partnership with the Armagh
and Dungannon Trust and Barnardos. The project
uses a restorative justice model16
within the school context and can be used
to address such diverse issues as bullying,
persistent non-attendance and behaviour
issues which may lead to a young person
being suspended or expelled. The aim of
the project is to pilot and evaluate this
intervention strategy in six schools in
the Armagh, Dungannon and Cookstown area.
- The
exception of this is in the Armagh team
where the SEWO is based apart from the
team
- Diversionary scheme run by the police
to reduce the number of young people within
the juvenile justice system
15
A school based conference aims to bring
together all participants in a meeting
aimed at using the strengths of the
extended family to resolve a difficulty
within the school setting
- This model brings together perpetrator,
victim and others involved to reach a
resolution
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