Dear Mrs Batchelor

Reference number: FOI/CSF/03/09/1191

On 28/03/09 we received the following request for information from you:

Under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act I would like to

know:

1. The number of persons in the local authority of compulsory

school age who are, or claimed to be, Electively Home Educated and

who have been either suspected of or found to be involved in child

abuse, child neglect, forced marriage, sexual exploitation or

domestic servitude.

2. How many (if any) Serious Case Reviews or Joint Area Reviews

have reported with respect to home educated children in the LA.

Your request for information has been considered under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. I can confirm that Hertfordshire County Council does hold the information you have requested and can respond as follows:

1. Hertfordshire County Council holds records of one case of a person in the local authority of compulsory school age who claimed to be Electively Home Educated and who have been suspected of being involved in child abuse, child neglect, forced marriage, sexual exploitation or domestic servitude.

2. No Serious Case Review or Joint Area Review have been reported with respect to home educated children in Hertfordshire County Council. Executive Summaries of all Serious Case Reviews for Hertfordshire County Council can be found at: http://www.hertsdirect.org/yrccouncil/hcc/csf/childrenstrust/structure/hscb/seriouscasereview/

Please note that all Serious Case Reviews published on this page are all the reviews reported since April 2006 which is when Local Safeguarding Children Boards were formed and replaced Area Child Protection Committee's. The Children Act 2004 set out the requirements of LSCB's and the associated document Working Together to Safeguard Children detailed the 'new' requirements for Serious Case Reviews which was to produce an Executive Summary and action plan, before this wasn't a requirement.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, quoting the reference number on this letter. To find out more about Freedom of Information, please visit www.hertsdirect.org/foi

If you are unhappy with the way the County Council has handled your request for information, you may complain through the County Council's complaints procedure which is available at www.hertsdrect.org/complaints

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the complaints procedure you are entitled to ask the Information Commissioner to investigate your complaint. You should write to: FOI/EIR Complaints Resolution, Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF.

Yours sincerely

Information Governance Unit

Hertfordshire County Council