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This rapid review looked at levels of school non-attendance of children with a social worker in the UK, including risk factors and effectiveness of interventions to improve attendance. Findings show a significant increase in absenteeism for children with social workers and multiple risk factors. The findings suggest that there is a lack of recent interventions targeting school non-attendance for these children, and a lack of research into the risk factors of school non-attendance and what can be done to mitigate them. We recommend that policymakers look at how they can best support those on the ‘front line’ of school non-attendance, including foster carers, schools and teachers.
This rapid review looks at 23 papers on the school non-attendance of children with a social worker in the UK. Whilst previous research has found a correlation between school attendance and higher academic achievement, poorer attendance is known to affect children from vulnerable groups, particularly those with a social worker, who would likely stand to benefit most from education. This review considers children who are on a Child in Need (CiN) plan, Child Protection Plan (CPP) or Children Looked After (CLA). Published alongside the review is a report produced by young people, who were recruited to review the report, provide feedback on accessibility and language, and produce their own responses to the rapid review. This report contains their responses and reflections on the findings.
This rapid review had three aims:
A grey literature search was conducted, as well as a systematic search for studies across eight electronic social science, sociology and education databases. The review was also limited to including empirical research (randomised controlled trials, observational studies and qualitative studies) that have been published since 2010 involving school-age children between the ages of 4 and 17 in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and/or Wales.
Extent of absence among CSW:
Risk factors for non-attendance among CSW were identified as:
Effectiveness of existing interventions to improve attendance:
The findings suggest that there is a lack of recent interventions targeting school non-attendance among CSW in the UK, as well as a lack of research into the risk factors of school non-attendance and what can be done to mitigate them. It is recommended that policymakers look at how they can best support those on the ‘front line’ of school non-attendance, including foster carers, schools and teachers.
