To think if children do not go back (to school) until. September, thats a lot of very vulnerable children who have been completely off the radar for 6 months??

[calpolatdawn]

Its one of my main concerns really. By this i dont mean that are vulnerable because they are poor with disabled, unable to work, or hardworking parents. I mean at risk of domestic abuse, other forms of abuse or maybe poverty, job losses, stress as a result of that,But too proud to access help. aibu in wondering what might come out after this is over, 4 children in this country have died already in DV murders 😔, i get very worried,.

Of course it’s a worry but they haven’t been “completely off the radar” - I work in a college and the pastoral staff have proactively chased up students who aren’t engaging every single week. As a teacher I’ve spent more time dealing with engagement, lack of motivation, mental health issues than anything else. Yes, there

Sorry, pressed post too soon!

Yes, there will be kids struggling with things at home we don’t know about but that’s always the case. Certainly it’s not true that if we’ve not heard from them that we’ve shrugged our shoulders and assumed all is well. It’s been taking up a vast amount of time and energy.

Most schools have a specially trained member of staff that will be in direct contact with vulnerable families throughout this, this includes children with autism or ther disabilities or those who are under social care or at risk of needing social care intervention.

The vulnerable children haven't been 'off the radar'. My husband is an SEN teacher in a pupil referral unit in one of the most deprived areas of Yorkshire. He's been face to face teaching all the way through. No PPE and no clue from the kids how to socially distance. We have both caught Covid consequently. He has literally risked all our lives to teach vulnerable kids so your post is irritating!

I agree that it is very worrying for vulnerable children. However, from what I can tell, Social Services have also had hits to their budgets for years which no doubt has impacted their ability to identify these children and give them the help that they need. The wellbeing of children is not just the responsibility of schools but a joined-up effort. For me, the pandemic has highlighted just how badly our public services have been underfunded. Whether it be schools, Social Services, the NHS or the Police Force. Personally I would like to see the large corporations pay their fair share of taxes and I also wouldn't mind paying more taxes for more investment in these areas. Regardless of any of that, we are all in for a tough time economically anyway.

YABU you'd be surprised what school know. My school has more vulnerable children in than key worker children.

i sadly think people are not grasping my post, im not talking about about children with SEN or teachers on the front line, im talking about homes that experience abuse where children will be deliberately kept off the radar as much as possible. more sinister type of isolation, its good to hear tgat pastoral staff are reaching, i wonder what happens though if families just refuse.

i absolutely agree itswhereitsat, School is meant to do so much now.

I think some children will inevitably be missed.
Children who were 'on the radar' before lockdown will be monitored.
But children where there were no concerns but where circumstances have changed might well be missed.
However lack of work / engagement should ring alarm bells in schools, including if 'families just refuse'.

If they refuse , we turn up on the doorstep. Of course it's not ideal and certainly not as good as being in school for 6 hours a day but we have our most vulnerable children in through gentle " persuasion " by school and social services, we have regular phone contact and ,as I said, physical contact for those that we can't get through to. I have done more social service referrals through lockdown than usual, simply because there is more risk and any possibility of abuse needs to be addressed. We are still holding CP reviews and meetings, still holding TAC meetings, still referring families for support. They haven't simply been abandoned.

Our children are highly vulnerable. I am also in a PRU. We contact families at least three times a week, provide food parcels as well as vouchers, do "safe and well " doorstep checks regularly and, of course, have been open since lockdown for children who need to come into school because they are vulnerable. I still want them all back in all the time though...

Maybe there are a few probably mumsnet naice, Ofsted outstanding schools that have just washed their hands of contact, but that definitely isn't the case at my school.

We've phoned and emailed. We've made home visits. We've talked endlessly to Social Care, the EWOs and PCOs. We've dropped food parcels and work packs on doorsteps. And we've had as many of the children we are worried about as parents we could persuade, in school throughout.

We've had regular contact with every family too, not just the ones who needed support before.

I think you are buying into the misconception that schools just went off for a long holiday.

Of course there will be kids who slip through the cracks and the cracks are widening due to Covid.

Rather than fretting about it, what are you doing to help?

Whilst it's not idea at all for children to have been out of school so long, it's wrong to say that all vulnerable children have been off the radar in that time. Some schools have been working hard to ensure that hasn't happened.

Our school have been in regularly - minimum weekly - contact with all our vulnerable children and families. Telephone class, video calls, doorstep visits, in school provision, etc. There isn't a single family we've not heard from. And our senco and our learning mentor have been contacting, speaking with and supporting those families all throughout this.

I know that this isn't happening everywhere but we are not unique in supporting our vulnerable families during this time.

I think there will be a significant number of vunerable people of all kinds, who will be dead!

And yes, we aren't just talking to children with send, but our vulnerable children where there are issues arising. I've been tagged in various CPOMs posts about issues with vulnerable children and how we can help them remotely or how to get them in school. And we've had families contact us and vice verse with issues. We are doing what we can and even standing on doorsteps to support and communicate with children and families.

Our school haven't been in touch at all. Not once.

I know some teachers are saying they are contacting the vulnerable children but that means they have assumed they know who the vulnerable children are, which seems stupendously naive.

I agree with you op. The schools who have safeguarding at the top of their agenda, pru's etc, will know who the kids are that need help. Other schools will know of their more obvious cases, but not of hidden ones . Weve had no contact from school and they know my childs father has a brain injury and child has some caring duties . We are going ok, but school dont know that and doing seem to care either.

Most parent me won't be aware what is happening for the most vulnerable. If we told all parents that some families were receiving the additional support and contact, then sadly some would expect it for all and we just don't have time resources for that.

From day 1 we have monitored home learning and communication for ALL of our families. On a Friday in know the numbers of access to almost all our provision. across school, including for all key focus groups.

I agree that it's worrying but I work in pastoral care for a secondary school and we are checking up on students every day. If we haven't had contact from a student we will do our best to find out what is going on - last week I carried out 5 home visits to students who we have concerns about.

We are also keeping careful checks on students with chaotic home lives, parents with mental health issues, alcoholism in the family and previous dv.

I am worried too - I've noticed that issues seem to be increasing as we get further into lockdown - but you are wrong to assume that no one is doing anything about it.

Never
What kind of family are you?
Are you a family about whom there has never been a cause for concern? (eg confident articulate parent, well turned out children who generally have what they need for school)
Have you children been engaging in schoolwork and sending it in?

If so, though not ideal, I can see why you might not be contacted at all.

It is a terrible situation but they shouldn't have been completely off the radar. We've worked really hard to keep in touch with vulnerable students and support the most vulnerable families.

I think there will sadly be some children who inevitably fall through the cracks, not just school aged children but babies/toddlers who are now not going to health clinics to be weighed/children’s centre groups/health visitor check ups at age 1 and 2 etc. My oldest son is 6 and was. called most weeks by his teacher and we uploaded to class dojo some of his work/pics and he is now back at school but no one ‘official’ has seen my 2 year old in three months. Vulnerable adults are also not getting seen as much as they were pre-lockdown.

I think most schools are doing all they can to check up on pupils and encourage those who they think vulnerable to be in school. We have never faced a situation like this before so I imagine a lot of lessons in all areas will be learnt from this.

A doorstep visit or a phone call to a home where a child is being abused but too scared to speak out is not going to be good enough though is it? You’re not going to tell your teacher that daddy came in to your room last night or that mummy locked you in a cupboard when they’re stood behind you at the door or next to you when your on the phone. School was a safe place away from their abuser where they could talk in confidence.

We are also offering places in school to vulnerable children and more and more families are taking us up on them.