HOME-EDUCATED children should be registered and seen and spoken to on an annual basis, an independent report into the death of an ‘invisible’ Eglwyswrw boy has said today (Friday).

Eight year-old Dylan Seabridge died at his home in December 2011.

He had been home educated and not known to the authorities from the age of 13 months.

An inquest heard that his parents did not seek medical assistance, despite him suffering symptoms relating to scurvy.

Dylan’s parents Glynn and Julie Seabridge denied any wrongdoing following his death, stating they did not believe he had scurvy and thought he was suffering from growing pains.

They were jointly charged with neglect, but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the charges before the case could go to trial in 2014.

The inquest heard he had no contact with authorities in the seven years before he died.

Education officials visited the Seabridges but had no power to see Dylan.

Calls have been made for a register to avoid home-schooled children falling off the radar, an idea supported by NSPCC Cymru.

Today’s report was authored independently by Gladys Rhodes White OBE, a national expert in safeguarding and child protection.

The report recommends that Welsh Government change the law so that the details of all elective home educated children are kept on a register and that they are seen and spoken to and their wishes recorded on an annual basis.

At present there is no such requirement and the law does not state any general requirement for parents to inform the education directorate if their child or children were never on a school roll.

The Seabridge family, the report says, were not engaged by choice with mainstream universal services.

Dylan had been suffering from severe symptoms of ill health and there was no evidence of any medical input regarding the deterioration of his health.

The Child Practice Review calls for a multi-agency protocol to be drawn up across mid and west Wales to safeguard children educated at home. The review was commissioned by CYSUR - the Regional Safeguarding Children Board - which comprises a variety of statutory agencies including the police, probation, four county councils and two health boards.

The Board accepted the findings of the review when it met yesterday, Thursday, July 7.

Head of NSPCC Cymru / Wales, Des Mannion, said:“NSPCC Cymru / Wales has long supported registration for children who are educated at home and we welcome the findings of this review.

“While every family has a right to educate a child and home learning alone is not a risk factor for abuse or neglect, it is absolutely vital that we ensure children do not fall off the local services radar.

“Prioritising training for professionals and ensuring home educated children have easy access to health checks are much needed improvements.

“This was a rare case – but there are clear lessons to learn and it is now important that Welsh government adopts each of these recommendations as swiftly as possible.

“We know that the overwhelming majority of parents want a safe learning environment for their children. A register would help to ensure this is the case for every single home educated child.”

The Child Practice Review is publicly available on Pembrokeshire County Council’s website: www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk