Hertfordshire County Council gathering data on vulnerable children who are not in school

Officials at Hertfordshire County Council are gathering data on the number of vulnerable children who have been attending school, during the Covid-19 outbreak.

Since March 20, schools across the country have been closed to the majority of pupils.

However, they have remained open for the children of key workers and for children that could be deemed to be vulnerable.

There have been concerns raised nationally about the proportion of vulnerable children who have stayed away from school.

And at a meeting of the county council’s special cabinet panel on Wednesday (May 6), Cllr Teresa Heritage, who is deputy leader of the county council and executive member for children young people and families, confirmed that the council was gathering the data.

Cllr Heritage said social workers had been working with families to try and get children with child protection and children in need plans into school.

But she said many parents were concerned about the infection, so that it was “quite a challenge”.

She also said in some cases foster carers – who also have their own children who were not allowed to go to school – had chosen to work with them all at home.

And she said she had heard of teachers who had been out to the homes of vulnerable children and asked to see them on the doorstep – from an acceptable social distance.

She told the special cabinet panel the council was working to protect vulnerable children as much as they can.

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