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Do I have to give council forwarding address and school info. Emigrating with 4 children.


pmf1977

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We received a visit from a Pupil Welfare Officer today requesting forwarding address and school as we are emigrating and taking our four children.

 

we emigrate on Sunday and he told us that if we don't provide the information they will need to inform the police that they have missing children.

 

we hadn't yet notified the school we were leaving, it was on our very long to do list.

 

i thought it was ridiculous as they are our own children and to be honest would rather not give any information.

 

we don't have an address yet anyway as we will be staying with a friend until we find somewhere.

 

I have searched on Google and cannot find anything that suggests we need to give this information by law.

 

does anybody know?

 

thanks

 

Paul

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Significant numbers of UK children go missing every year, and child protection responsibilities mean local authorities are required to investigate. The reasons can vary - from kids simply dropping out of education or families moving and not notifying the school, to more sinister stuff like trafficking and forced marriage. Recent high profile cases are proof of how badly things can go wrong when councils fails to take their child protection responsibilities seriously.

 

I guess the school just want to be notified of the date you plan to emigrate and a forwarding address, even a c/o address, would confirm the details. Otherwise irrespective of whether you are legally required to notify the school, your children may become part of the disappeared/ missing statistics that require investigation….and in the circumstances that seems a little unnecessary, and a bit of a waste of tax payer funds ? Tx

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Hey,

 

I can't answer for the school information but I know when I was moving around the UK, it was in my interest to notify the council of me leaving the area - (for example, York has a website to notify them). That way they won't hound you for council tax.

 

Jonny

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Tea4too I understand what you are saying but these are our own children and as we are taking them out of the UK permanently neither myself nor my wife could understand the reaction from the council employee.

if I decided to move to some remote location in say Alaska and choose to live off the land and not bother sending my children to school then surely that's my choice.

If we are leaving the UK then as soon as we leave UK airspace surely we are no longer under UK law anyway.

He told me that if we didn't provide a forwarding address by close of business tomorrow the he would have to file a missing children report to the police.

If he did that, who would be wasting taxpayers money as the children aren't missing they are with their parents.

My opinion is the same as QSS and freesia, it's none of their business and it is simply information gathering which is all I am trying to avoid.

Councils fail to ensure the safety and welfare of many children IN the country so maybe they should focus their efforts there first.

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Jonny I can understand some of the reasons in that case, partly because it is law for a child receive and education in this country but that law doesn't mean the education has to be in school as you can home tutor and if I was home tutoring my children the council would have no idea I was leaving the country.

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As mentioned before a missing person/s is based on noone actually knowing what has happened. ( nothing to do with a postcode). Therefore an entire family emmigrating with full visa grants and the understanding from the Australian authorities that the minors are travelling with their biological parents does not contstitute a missing oersons case. End of Comment.

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Its a bit ridiculous of the school as they obviously know your going or you wouldn't have had a visit from the Pupil Welfare Officer, but you should put it in writing.

 

I would put a letter in writing to the head school and the local education authority that you are emigrating permanently to Australia, and until you are settled you have no forwarding address.

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Until the school get it in writing that the child is leaving, or get confirmation from a new school, they can't stop Pupil Welfare getting involved. Obviously, you are emigrating, but you would be surprised what some parents come up with to get their kids out of school and the school is only following procedures.

 

As for asking for a forwarding address, I think that is a bit over zealous of the Officer but, again, you are leaving in a few days and have said you hadn't told the school.

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Guest Chewitts
we emigrate on Sunday and he told us that if we don't provide the information they will need to inform the police that they have missing children.

 

I would drop a letter into the school stating that you are emigrating as for anything else just ignore the officer it sounds like someone with delusions of grandeur of what he/she has the authority to do......I would let them go ahead and report your children missing to the police, the police won't be impressed with them.

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You say you haven't notified the school yet, even though you leave in a few days. This is why you got a visit - they are concerned for your children - I am assuming that the kids haven't been in school?

 

 

Even though the older children often come home with worksheets from school that have spelling mistakes or other errors, we make it clear to our kids how important education is.

 

They have attended school and are going to school today.

 

Teachers overheard our older kids talking to their friends about leaving.

 

Writing a letter to school was on the list of to do but we hadn't gotten around to it yet.

 

We have taken our children on a couple of holidays in the past that were not 'authorised' by the school but I am confident that the things my kids learned on these holidays makes up for missed lessons.

 

The school has given my wife a note listing the things they require including

 

forwarding residential address and telephone number

 

address of the school the children will be attending.

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Guest The Pom Queen

They probably do have to have a forwarding school on record, i had to complete one for the school in Cairns when I changed schools a while back, they said the education authority need to check that the kids are continuing with their education. What I do find silly is that when you are emigrating you usually have no idea of a new address, what suburb you will settle in or the name of a school.

Personally I would write a letter to the school or go in and visit them stating that you wish to visit the schools once you arrive to make sure they are right for your child's needs therefore at this time you cannot provide the information they need but will forward it on once you are settled.

We never had to do it when we moved from the UK and it seems like your school is doing everything to the book, but probably based on a move in the UK not overseas where they will not have any jurisdiction.

Personally I would even visit the local police station myself and explain.

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They probably do have to have a forwarding school on record, i had to complete one for the school in Cairns when I changed schools a while back, they said the education authority need to check that the kids are continuing with their education. What I do find silly is that when you are emigrating you usually have no idea of a new address, what suburb you will settle in or the name of a school.

Personally I would write a letter to the school or go in and visit them stating that you wish to visit the schools once you arrive to make sure they are right for your child's needs therefore at this time you cannot provide the information they need but will forward it on once you are settled.

We never had to do it when we moved from the UK and it seems like your school is doing everything to the book, but probably based on a move in the UK not overseas where they will not have any jurisdiction.

Personally I would even visit the local police station myself and explain.

 

Thats what i said earlier basicly, The Uk education authority has no juristiction to insist on this as its an Australian state issue. My neighbour is a senior sergant and just shrugged his shoulders when i told him and basically said its not there concern as no law has been broken nor is there foul play afoot.

Go and enjoy your new lives.

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It absolutely none of the school's, neither the state's business where you take your children. If it's a matter of records being forwarded then they give those records to the parent and the parents hand it to the new school. Unbelievable.

 

You should take great exception to being intimidated by a state official. If they send the police around to your house on the pretext of "missing children" then simply show the police that your children are not missing because they are in your house. Then lodge a formal complaint against the council for intimidation and wasting police time. Also Daily Mail would love this, and maybe Guardian, but that one could go either way because while they love their civil liberties over there they are big on state intrusion into private lives.

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Look at it from the school's point of view - if kids suddenly stop going to school without them being informed that they are leaving then what are they supposed to do? Just ignore it? If they didn't follow up on kids that stopped going without them being informed then they would be considered negligent. Schools have a duty of care to the children they teach.

 

All you have to do is formally inform the school that you are leaving the country and everything else will be fine. The whole thing about a forwarding address is rubbish, but you do need to let the school know you are moving overseas. You don't even have to say where overseas.

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Look at it from the school's point of view - if kids suddenly stop going to school without them being informed that they are leaving then what are they supposed to do? Just ignore it? If they didn't follow up on kids that stopped going without them being informed then they would be considered negligent. Schools have a duty of care to the children they teach.

 

All you have to do is formally inform the school that you are leaving the country and everything else will be fine. The whole thing about a forwarding address is rubbish, but you do need to let the school know you are moving overseas. You don't even have to say where overseas.

 

The school has no right to know anything about your children. As a matter of courtesy you should of course write them a short note explaining the children will be ceasing attendance because of emigration, the end. People are slowly forgetting what "private family life" means.

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I think who has what right, to ask for what, in what circumstances, misses the point that any request stems from a desire to ensure the well being of children for whom the council has a duty of care. I doubt there is any real interest in children emigrating with parents in the normal way, but there have been cases of children abducted by one parent, trafficked by other family members or family friends, or taken ‘on holiday’ and sold into marriage. To learn through a child that they are about to leave their school and country on a permanent basis will, I expect, be enough reason for someone to feel it needs checking out. And perhaps a bit of extra information, such as an intended address, would be enough to support the reason provided for a child’s removal from the school or country.

 

I understand the natural aversion to Big Brother, but child protection issues are particularly high profile in the UK just now and recent reports indicate that 1000’s of kids have historically been put at risk because the authorities either did not follow up information, or accepted at face value the explanation provided by a ‘responsible’ adult. Personally I don’t think its too big a deal for the council to ask for a bit more information, particularly if it helps them to focus on the cases that really need their time and effort. But that’s just my view. Tx

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We received a visit from a Pupil Welfare Officer today requesting forwarding address and school as we are emigrating and taking our four children.

 

we emigrate on Sunday and he told us that if we don't provide the information they will need to inform the police that they have missing children.

 

we hadn't yet notified the school we were leaving, it was on our very long to do list.

 

i thought it was ridiculous as they are our own children and to be honest would rather not give any information.

 

we don't have an address yet anyway as we will be staying with a friend until we find somewhere.

 

I have searched on Google and cannot find anything that suggests we need to give this information by law.

 

does anybody know?

 

thanks

 

Paul

 

The pupil welfare officer is only acting on information towards attendance provided from your childs school .The fact that you have not informed the school of your plans to emigrate and your childrens absence from school ( I am only presuming ) will ring alarm bells , thats probably why they are asking for a forward adress .Personally I would send an e mail to the school .a voice message; and drop a written letter in the post box informing them of your emigration plans .

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We received a visit from a Pupil Welfare Officer today requesting forwarding address and school as we are emigrating and taking our four children.

 

we emigrate on Sunday and he told us that if we don't provide the information they will need to inform the police that they have missing children.

 

we hadn't yet notified the school we were leaving, it was on our very long to do list.

 

i thought it was ridiculous as they are our own children and to be honest would rather not give any information.

 

we don't have an address yet anyway as we will be staying with a friend until we find somewhere.

 

I have searched on Google and cannot find anything that suggests we need to give this information by law.

 

does anybody know?

 

thanks

 

Paul

 

Unusual to get an EWO visit if your children have been attending school - you should contact your local education department and advise that you are emigrating and are taking your children off school roll from a certain date -then you would have fulfilled your obligations in informing them formally. Unfortunately some children do appear to dissappear into thin air.....

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I think who has what right, to ask for what, in what circumstances, misses the point that any request stems from a desire to ensure the well being of children for whom the council has a duty of care... To learn through a child that they are about to leave their school and country on a permanent basis will, I expect, be enough reason for someone to feel it needs checking out. And perhaps a bit of extra information, such as an intended address, would be enough to support the reason provided for a child’s removal from the school or country.

 

The entire point is that the council has no duty of care towards the children unless they are in the school, or if have very good evidence of mistreatment while the kids are at home. I'm saddened to see the extent to which some people have happily accepted such intrusion into their lives and have lost all sense of the private family sphere and what it means. The state has no place "checking out" the actions of private citizens unless they break the law, except, of course, in police states, where that is precisely what the state must do.

 

because the authorities either did not follow up information, or accepted at face value the explanation provided by a ‘responsible’ adult.

 

Again, the whole point, and by this I mean the entire fundamental basis of our civilization, is that the authorities have no right to "follow up information", i.e. monitor and persecute individuals, unless there is evidence of a crime in commission. Telling your school that you are moving overseas is not sufficient information for them to presume you are guilt of committing a serious offence, and therefore that is the end of it. Sorry for the lengthy reply but some thing are important enough to warrant them I think, even this early in the morning!

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The entire point is that the council has no duty of care towards the children unless they are in the school, or if have very good evidence of mistreatment while the kids are at home. I'm saddened to see the extent to which some people have happily accepted such intrusion into their lives and have lost all sense of the private family sphere and what it means. The state has no place "checking out" the actions of private citizens unless they break the law, except, of course, in police states, where that is precisely what the state must do.

 

 

 

Again, the whole point, and by this I mean the entire fundamental basis of our civilization, is that the authorities have no right to "follow up information", i.e. monitor and persecute individuals, unless there is evidence of a crime in commission. Telling your school that you are moving overseas is not sufficient information for them to presume you are guilt of committing a serious offence, and therefore that is the end of it. Sorry for the lengthy reply but some thing are important enough to warrant them I think, even this early in the morning!

 

 

The point is though the OP has not informed the school they are moving overseas. The school has only heard it from the child talking about it and we have no information about how old the child is. If a 9 year old was saying they were leaving next week and you had no notification from the parent would you just ignore it?

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