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Safeguarding support
Central School Attendance and Welfare Service (CSAWS)
The City of Birmingham School work alongside the Central School Attendance and Welfare Service Ltd (CSAWS) which is an Independent Education Welfare Service that provide guidance, advice and direct work in raising whole school attendance and improving outcomes for pupils and their families across our school. We believe that through attending school every day on time children and young people will get the best possible start in life. There are clear links between attendance and attainment, raising standards, fulfilling potential and safeguarding.
CSAWS are involved in the direct casework of children, young people and their families and use assessment skills, knowledge and strategies developed to understand the barriers to school attendance, challenge parentally condoned absence, promote and secure school attendance.
Poor attendance is a major cause for concern for any young person and can lead to high levels of vulnerability. COBS and CSAWS maintains contact with the Education Legal intervention team (ELIT) through the running of the ‘Fast Track’ attendance scheme, which targets persistent absentees and can lead to fines for cases where there is no improvement in attendance. In extreme cases this can also lead to parent/carers receiving a 'School Attendance Order' via the Courts.
Inclusive Attendance
Professional Development Delivery Model
The Inclusive Attendance Professional Development Model revolutionises how schools address attendance. Their goal is straightforward: create a culture where everyone is accountable for enhancing attendance. Recognising the vital role of each staff member, their model provides top-tier professional development. The six Learning Modules, co-designed by experts from various fields, empower staff with deeper knowledge and clarity on their roles.
This approach fosters an inclusive environment, emphasising collective responsibility. Central to their approach are the four domains of practice, bridging theory with real-world application, covering professional practice, ongoing learning, evidence-based research, and innovative leadership.
The work of Professor Katherine Weare (2015) and Thalia González et al (2021) underpins the Attendance Professional Development model.
These research papers focus on adopting mental health, social well-being, and restorative practice strategies to support schools to implement a range of interventions which builds a culture of belonging for all children.
The model creates conditions for addressing social justice issues, building positive mental health, developing emotional resilience, and social and emotional learning.
AP Taskforce
City of Birmingham Schools (COBS) is participating in a Department for Education (DfE) funded project that launched in September 2021. This initiative provides funding to COBS and Alternative Provision (AP) settings to deliver a team of specialist support workers, known as the Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce, to support vulnerable children who have been excluded from mainstream education.
The Taskforce is a multi-disciplinary team consisting of three Therapists, two Youth Workers, a Speech and Language Therapist, a Substance Misuse Worker, a Family Support Worker, a Female Intervention Group Worker, an Office Manager, and a Team Manager.
The project aims to prevent serious youth violence and child exploitation, reduce absconding from education, decrease the number of children who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET), and improve children’s mental health and overall wellbeing. Taskforce professionals are based full-time within City of Birmingham Schools and Alternative Provision settings, helping to reduce the need for external referrals and strengthen relationships with children and their families.
The Alternative Provision Specialist Taskforce works in partnership with other agencies and encourages professional dialogue to ensure effective collaboration and avoid duplication of work.
To make a referral, the child must be attending a City of Birmingham School (COBS) or an Alternative Provision setting. Please complete the attached referral form and email it to:
Police
City of Birmingham school is committed to keeping our students safe, both in school and the wider community. As part of our safeguarding arrangements, we have a two-way information sharing agreement in place with West Midlands Police, and we are also active members of our local constituency Police & Schools Panel.
The agreement is compliant with Crime & Disorder Act 1998, Data Protection Act 2018 – 2021 Update and United Kingdom General Data Protection Regulation (UK-GDPR); and focuses on preventing young people from becoming involved, or further involved, in crime and anti-social behaviour (as either a victim or offender) or those who have been reported as missing that may be vulnerable as a result.
This joint approach helps us to intervene early; provide additional support, and share up-to-date safety messages with students and their families/carers. If you have any queries about this partnership work please contact Sunil Vyakaranam (Lead DSL).
Student Social Workers
Since 2014-2015, COBS has taken part in an initiative placing student social workers from local universities in schools as part of their course. We have several students each year who contribute greatly to our safeguarding work. They are able to provide one-to-one sessions; complete 'Early Help Assessment' requests' and referrals to other agencies for support, and follow the cases through; link with outside agencies such as Barnardo’s and Spurgeon's; support parents where necessary; and gain excellent experience in a range of safeguarding cases.
