FOI ref no: 5649
1 April 2015
E Farmer
Dear Mr Farmer
Freedom of Information request: reference 5649, first notified to us by email on 27 February 2015
Thank you for your recent request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The force’s response to your enquiry is as follows:
A recent FOI request has highlighted that Jenny Dodd of the Elective Home Education dept at Entrust has been in contact with Detective Chief Inspector Jav Oomer of Staffordshire Police force.
Please could Staffordshire Police make available all correspondence between Jenny Dodd and DCI Jav Oomer? Also could any internal recommendations and notes, meeting notes and policy changes made as a result of these communications please be provided?
I can confirm that Staffordshire Police holds the requested information.
Please see attached copies of four emails between Jenny Dodd and Detective Chief Inspector Javid Oomer.
Javid Oomer is the Chair of the joint Policy and Procedures Sub Group for both Staffordshire and Stoke Safeguarding Children’s Boards.
As part of the role it was identified through a number of national documents, including serious case reviews, that across the country there may be gaps in safeguarding those children that are educated at home that do not engage with the local authority.
The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC) produced guidance in March 2014 entitled ‘Home Education: Learning from
Case Reviews’.
As a result of this, a scoping exercise was carried out across Staffordshire (including Stoke-on-Trent) to consider arrangements for those families that have not engaged, i.e. taken children from school to be home educated and then have no further contact with the local authority. This exercise was not considering the wider elective home education community.
I want to provide some context in relation to the data referred to in the attached email dated 2 September 2014 (JD1) where it is suggested that approximately 200 cases may come into this scope. You will note that this is very early in the academic year and is a reflection of the ratio of families that had not engaged at that time. The current position indicates that around 8% of families (less than 40) have not yet engaged with the local authorities having taken children from school education.
Please note that I have not provided a copy of the flowchart mentioned in the emails. The flowchart has not been finalised and has to be agreed by both children’s boards. The flowchart will then be published on the websites of Staffordshire and Stoke Safeguarding Children’s Boards. I am therefore applying the exemption under Section 22 (Information intended for future publication).
If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request, you have the right to ask for an internal review. Internal review requests should be submitted within two months of the date of receipt of this email and should be addressed to:
Julie Ferrie
Freedom of Information
Corporate Communications
Staffordshire Police
PO Box 3167
Stafford
ST16 9JZ
Please remember to quote the reference number in any future communications.
Should you require any further information please contact me on 01785232411.
Yours sincerely
Julie Ferrie
Freedom of Information Coordinator