Redcar and Cleveland’s school attendance and welfare service work in partnership with parents, children, young people, other agencies, schools, academies and colleges to address any issues around attendance and persistent absences (attendance that is below 90%).
They also are responsible for Children Missing from Education in their duty to promote the safeguarding of all pupils. Their contact details are:
School attendance and welfare service
Inspire 2 Learn,
South Bank,
Normanby Rd,
Middlesbrough, TS6 9AE.
Telephone Number​: 01642 837738
Attendance: AWS@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
Child Missing in Education: childrenmissingeducation@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
Senior Attendance and Welfare Officer, Michelle Smith: michelle.smith4@redcar-cleveland.gov.uk
The Attendance and Welfare Service aims to achieve the following outcomes:
- Maximise school attendance;
- Drive up educational attainment;
- Young people are ready to start school;
- Young people have the skills and confidence for work regardless of their background;
- Young people are safe and protected from harm;
- Early intervention prevents young people from being brought into care;
- Parenting standards are improved;
- Child poverty is reduced;
- Harm caused by drugs, alcohol, sexual behaviour and offending is reduced.
The Attendance and Welfare Service has robust and structured attendance procedures to address attendance issues from receiving referrals from schools/academies, to undertaking home visits and, with consent, completing an assessment, arranging planning meetings and attending case conferences, issuing penalty notices in respect of poor school attendance and, if necessary, to the final stage of proceeding to court and prosecuting parents under section 444 Education Act 1996 for failing to ensure regular school attendance.