PARENTS who abuse their children are escaping detection by suddenly opting for 'home schooling', it has emerged.

The explosive revelation has come from the chairman of Worcestershire's Safeguarding Children Board, who says she is "extremely concerned" about evidence of con-artist parents suddenly removing their children from school as soon as concerns emerge around abuse.

Diana Fulbrook, who is the independent chair of the board, says there is growing evidence from schools and health professionals that some abusers are seeing home schooling as an option for escaping the clutches of police and social workers.

Mrs Fulbrook, who acts as a watchdog over children's social care, is now going to write to Government ministers to ask them to give councils specific powers to launch investigations into families they suspect are playing the system.

At the moment the law gives families rights to suddenly pull their child out and register for home schooling without any powers to delay it, review the decision or investigate why.

But the board says there is firm evidence, both in Worcestershire and around the country, of sexual abusers taking advantage of that to escape the authorities.

Your Worcester News can also reveal how within the last year one case review has taken place in Worcestershire where Mrs Fulbrook says home schooling was "a feature" of the abusive parents' strategy.

She wrote to the Government last year about it and is now contacting the Department for Education again to raise serious concern.

It comes at a time when Worcestershire has 317 children being educated at home.

"I have to stress with the vast majority of parents who do home schooling, we have no concerns about them whatsoever," she said.

"But there is a loophole and some schools have expressed concern, and we've heard it from paediatricians, that when questions start to be asked (about suspected abuse victims) a very small but very worrying number then decide to 'home educate'.

"The local authorities can't do anything to monitor them, it's extremely concerning, indeed there's real concern around the country about this.

"There's been a few high-profile, serious case reviews where a child has died and they've been home schooled - and we had a case review last year in Worcestershire where home schooling was a feature.

"It's a small minority but clearly, it's seriously worrying. We've seen this happen."

She told your Worcester News her concerns are being reiterated around the country by other independent safeguarding children's board bosses.

The fears have been backed up by school governors in Worcestershire, who also say some parents go further by hopping across different council boundaries to flee any detection - moving house regularly.

Lib Dem Councillor Fran Oborski is governor at two schools and used to work as an education officer role at Birmingham City Council.

"You get parents who are caught out and they go for home schooling, move from Worcestershire to Birmingham, then to Dudley, then somewhere else without being detected," she said.

The concern comes at a time when Worcestershire County Council has around 690 children in care, costing taxpayers nearly £30 million.

The safeguarding board has a duty to monitor all relevant agencies' safeguarding methods around the county, including the police and schools.

WHAT THE LAW SAYS

SECTION 7 of the Education Act 1996 gives parents the right to home school if they wish.

The only way to try and get them back into mainstream education is if council chiefs deem the child 'not in receipt of a suitable education', which can result in officers using the law to apply for a 'School Attendance Order' ordering them to return or risk prosecution.

But councils have no statutory duties to monitor the quality of home education on a 'routine basis' under the law.

Bosses at County Hall say they are determined to work as effectively as they can within its limitations.

Councillor John Campion, the cabinet member for children and families said: "When we are made aware of a child who is home educated, we'll make informal enquiries about the arrangements that are being made to ensure a suitable education is taking place.

"The council also recognises that when a parent elects to home educate this does not, by itself constitute a safeguarding concern.

"However, we do recognise that there is a small percentage of children who are electively home educated, likewise for those who are in school, who are considered to be 'vulnerable' and we ensure that the robust safeguarding procedures that are in place are followed to ensure that these children are identified and supported in the best possible way."