The watchdog said West Sussex Council was at fault for advising the girl's school not to send work home when she stopped attending, and for not considering alternative provision sooner.
The girl, who is now 15, started refusing to go to school in her early teens and eventually her attendance dropped to below 60 per cent. Her parents and school tried a number of ways to help her, but she refused to engage.
The council wrote to the parents to start legal proceedings against them for non-attendance. The parents explained they were doing everything to get their daughter into school.
The council refused the parents' request to suspend proceedings while they sought help from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS), but said it would withdraw action if the girl's attendance improved, or there was evidence she was medically unfit to attend school.
A forum meeting agreed the school would send work home for the girl, but afterwards a council officer told the school it did not support this approach unless the parents provided medical evidence for the non-attendance.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
