Conducting 'safe and well' checks

Last reviewed on 12 August 2021
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 30918

Find out about conducting home visits to check on pupils’ welfare. Understand when and how to conduct ‘reasonable enquiries’ into a child’s whereabouts before removing them from the school roll.

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Contents

  1. What these checks are for 
  2. Understand your school’s responsibility  
  3. Know how to conduct the check safely 

What these checks are for 

Schools and local authority (LA) social care teams can make visits to pupils’ homes to check on their welfare. These can go by various names, including ‘welfare checks’ and ‘safe and well checks'. 

The police also conduct these checks when a child has returned home after being reported missing. They look to see: 

  • If the child has suffered harm 
  • Where and with whom they've been 
  • If they've committed a crime or had one committed against them  

This is set out in section 3.17 of London Safeguarding Children Partnership's guidance on children missing from care, home and education.   

Example from a school 

Senior staff at Heath Lane Academy in Leicestershire will conduct a home visit immediately when: 

  • A pupil is absent from school without a valid reason 
  • The school hasn't received a reply to a follow-up text or call or 
  • The school received no reply, or a reply that they're concerned about 

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