Alternative provision: children's champions

Children's champions work with both primary and secondary schools to reduce exclusions.

There are currently two children's champions working as part of Lancashire County Council's Alternative Provision function.

We contribute to both wider systems and processes around permanent exclusions and the Section 19 Medical Panel. The panel meets fortnightly to discuss alternative provision for pupils who have medical needs preventing their access to their mainstream education.

What we do

Our main function is seeking the pupils voice, and ensuring this is heard. Particularly when a pupil is at risk of being excluded from school.

We can:

  • mediate between the home, school, other services involved and feed in to wider support plans
  • provide support for pupils integrating from a PRU to a mainstream school
  • provide whole school support, meeting with groups of pupils at risk of exclusion, seeking their views and experiences, and feedback to school with suggestions to increase chances of positive outcomes for each pupil

We also regularly visit Pupil Referral Units giving permanently excluded pupils the opportunity to share their views and experiences with us.

How we work

We are a short term intervention. We promote early intervention as having a much greater chance of positive outcomes for pupils at risk of exclusion or who require re-engaging with their learning.

We will:

  • advocate for the pupil and support where we can in overcoming the many, and often complex, barriers they are facing to fulfilling their potential in school
  • problem solve, trouble shoot, listen and collaborate to improve outcomes

What a children's champion cannot do

It is not our role to support with:

  • ongoing pieces of direct work with pupils
  • non school attendance
  • pupils with an EHCP who are at risk of exclusion from their mainstream school

If this support is needed, we'll signpost to appropriate agencies and professionals that may be able to support.

For pupils with an EHCP, we'll signpost to our colleagues in the Inclusion Engagement Support Team (IEST).

Contact us

To request support from a children's champion, please complete the initial contact form and email to: childrenschampions@lancashire.gov.uk