Peter did well at primary school, but when he moved to secondary school, attendance became an issue. He was using cannabis excessively and his mental health deteriorated. His mother had long-term issues with drug addiction and poor mental health, but Peter was off the radar of social services. After a troubled spell living with his father, who also had mental health problems, he ended up homeless.
Peter is just one example of the young people that education welfare officers support. Far from simply dealing with poor school attendance, they are often first to identify when a family is experiencing deeper problems.
With this in mind, the National Association of Social Workers in Education (NASWE) is calling for urgent investment in the profession at government level - and workers at local level - in spite of the spending squeeze, with the launch of a policy paper: Early Intervention - A New Potential for Education Welfare.
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