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Council must help with truancy
• I AM appalled that there are 12 Camden parents/carers facing legal action for not making sure that their children attend school (Anger as son’s truancy puts mother in dock, Dec 14).
Maybe someone could enlighten me, how, when the parent/carer is just one link in a chain of professionals that range from teachers, headteachers and social workers from the Education Welfare Service (EWS), it is the parent that faces legal action?
Let me be clear, if the school and the council offer help and this is refused by the parent/carer, then there is no alternative but to take the matter to court.
However, if the school try initiatives and they do not work then, as the attendance falls below 80 per cent, this triggers intervention by the EWS.
Once they become involved there are many services they offer and I trust that in Ms Burton’s case had these explained to her and was offered access to the many projects to help.
I would argue this, if a parent/carer welcomes the intervention of the EWS and they comply with all that is being offered, if the help fails, why then is the parent/carer taken to court?
If Ms Burton or any of the other 11 parents/carers that face court action would like to contact me at the address below, I can inform them if they have been offered all the services by the EWS that they are entitled too.
My wife and I have been through all this and in our case the ombudsman found that the council (the EWS) had denied our child vital services.
MR DF GOWERS
9 Kingsland
Broxwood Way
NW8 7QJ
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