In the UK, there a range of concerns relating to the absences of children due to long term health needs, these include;
Do we know the scale of the issue?
How does national policy support schools and Local Authorities enact their responsibilities?Are children who are hospitalised or unable to school getting the appropriate education?
How do teachers and senior managers know how to support a child’s reintegration?
I was welcomed to join a panel of experts (by experience and by professional backgrounds) to talk about these very issue and the findings are in the subsequent Invisible Children report.
In the next week, we are going to explore the issue more in depth through Freya. Those of you who have been following us at Phoenix HQ have already been introduced to her brother Frankie and his trials and tribulations over the Christmas period.
Freya’s needs are just as challenging and complex. Schools struggle with how to support children like Freya return to school successfully. Our experience tells us they worry about the risks associated with supporting an unwell child return to school, some don’t know what an Individual Healthcare plan is and the associated legislation. Others may struggle with getting the information they need to best support a child. Through story-telling and beautiful illustrations from our resident artist Baz Rowell, we find out more about how to support Freya and children like her go back to school.
Follow #forgottenFreya for tips, ideas, insights and inspiration.