A new briefing paper from the National Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel has been released, sharing learning from case reviews where children have been electively home educated. The paper, titled Safeguarding Children in Elective Home Education, aims to support the multi-agency workforce to help and protect children who are electively home educated.
Recent statistics from the Department for Education show that as many as 92,000 children in England were being taught from home in autumn 2023; an increase of almost 14% from the previous term. This increase in home schooling has received considerable national attention, particularly in the context of wider concerns about education attendance during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are many reasons why parents decide to home educate their children and the Panel are clear in their view “that home education is not, in and of itself a safeguarding risk”. The briefing highlights that a small minority of children within this cohort may be at risk of harm and may not be visible to services. The paper draws on evidence from rapid reviews and local child safeguarding practice reviews to better understand some of the risk factors associated with elective home education.
Read the full paper and the Panel’s recommendations here: Safeguarding Children in Elective Home Education.