ACES Attendance Service Newsletter

Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa

Let us keep close together, not far apart

IMPORTANT NOTICE:

Due to technical difficulties, from upgrading our phone system, the ACES landline phone number is disconnected.This is being worked on at the present time.

Thank you for your paitence!

For the Attendance Service you can

email admin@aces.school.nz

We are excited to begin the year under the Ministry of Education’s reformed Attendance Service. Our focus remains on addressing chronic absence and non-enrolment by providing ākonga with meaningful, long-term support.

For our schools and whānau across the Grammar Western Springs, Mt Albert Mt Roskill Lynfield and Waiheke Catchments., our team is hitting the ground running. We are dedicated to bringing more connection, clarity, and comprehensive support to our community this year.

A New Era: The MoE Case Management System (CMS)

As of January 5, 2026, ACES officially went live with the Ministry of Education’s new Attendance Service Case Management System. This digital leap forward means:

• Improved Data:

• Access to real-time tracking of student engagement.

• Faster Referrals:

Schools can now refer through a streamlined digital portal (ASA no longer exists) and will allow the School’s nominated contact person to follow the Attendance Advisor assigned to the case’s updates.

Quality Over Quick Fixes:

ACES can now shift and deliver the model based on the Managed Moves Programme. There is now dedicated time to allow the teams to improve the needed wrap-around "Complex and Unmanageable Cases.". The shift was needed and this allows ACES to move beyond surface-level response, to a long-term focus, in order to successfully re-engage or return ākonga back into education.

The Roadmap for 2026:

Term One is the Term for Transition & Growth:

Term One will be the "settling-in" period for the new Catchments. Our existing team will work collectively across the Catchments to respond to referrals while new staff (starting mid-February) can receive their induction training.

All staff will be carrying out duties of the Attendance Advisor this term and together they will learn the expectations of working with the new Case Management System (CMS) Platform and adapt to the model that ACES will be delivering starting term two.

We appreciate your patience as we build the capacity ready for your Catchment Team who will be ready in Term 2.

Term Two is the Term with dedicated roles to Respond using the Model:

By Term Two, every school in their Catchment will have a dedicated "face-to-face" Attendance Advisor.

To further strengthen the response for Grammar Western Springs and Mt Albert Mt Roskill Lynfield catchments the Team roles will change and people’s responsibilities will become either an Attendance Advisor, Case Navigator or, the Rangitahi Whānau Worker.

This multi-layered approach will ensure both Schools and whānau/ families have the expertise to address the needs / complexities to respond with the right plan to address chronic non-attendance or non-enrolment.

Grammar Western Springs and Mt Albert Mt Roskill Lynfield will have up to 8 people working within their specific Catchment. Waiheke Catchment Attendance Advisor’s hours have been increased and will also be supported by the Attendance Service Team Leader. The model will be adapted to suit the landscape of Waiheke Island’s 3 schools.

To ensure the right plan is in place for ākonga referred from the Catchments, the model being approached is culturally grounded, holistic and focused on long-term success.

The Three Core Principles

Guided by three Māori principles on how we engage with ākonga, whānau / family or caregivers persistently, consistently:

The Attendance Advisor

The "Whakawhanaungatanga" Specialist. The Attendance Advisor focuses on the big picture of engagement. They connect to a case and with new “eyes” define (assess) the "why” behind the referral. Their roles will confirm if an Initial Plan is needed that they co-ordinate or, due to complexities assessed, connect with their Catchment team to consider setting in place an Education and Support Plan (based on Managed Moves Programme principles).

Action: Receives the referral.

Focus: Uses "new eyes" to review long-term evidence and attendance data and find the root cause.

Decision: Is this a straightforward re-engagement needing only an Initial Plan, or does the case require a collaborative approach.

The Case Navigator

The “Roadmap” Architect. The Case Navigator role co-ordinates the moving parts of an “unmanageable or complex” case. Their role is to support the Attendance Advisor to navigate the health, justice, social and/or education Agencies or Community groups attached (or need to be attached).

The primary purpose of the Case Navigator is to navigate cross-sector relationships to achieve two outcomes:

1.Co-ordinating Educational and Support Plans:

Develop and maintain the Educational and Support Plan for ākonga and whānau / families who have several Agencies / Community Groups (or need to be attached) navigating the relationships to collaborate to engage ākonga in the chosen educational destination and the outcome of attendance moves from chronic to regular.

2.Community Coordination & Barrier Resolution:

To collaborate with key community stakeholders (e.g., Pasifika or Māori Services, Agencies, and Community Groups) and sets in place Catchment's Local Co-ordination Group.

Action: Builds the "Roadmap"

Focus: Forms the Catchment’s Local Co-ordination Group that supports the Service across the social worker, a health, education Agencies, the school collaborating with set actions in the Education and Support Plan

The Rangitahi Whānau Worker

The "Relationship" Anchor. This role is aligned to Māori and Pasifika health frameworks, focusing on the holistic well-being of ākonga within the context of their whānau / family with the School and will have TIME to create a relationship with whānau / family and ākonga towards a shared vision, ensuring ākonga become the lead authors of their own goals and success.

Action: Anchors the relationship when TIME is needed

Focus: While the Navigator deals with the Agencies, the Whānau Worker sits in the lounge room with ākonga or whānau / families. They ensure the plan has the input and voices of ākonga, the parent, whānau members or caregivers.

Framework: Applies holistic health models to ensure ākonga, parent, whānau members or caregivers are supported.

ACES is excited the Attendance Service and Managed Moves teams have joined forces and this will be become more obvious when Catchment Teams are formalised starting in Term 2. This evolution allows this service to provide a a seamless approach with cases referred to the Attendance Service.

The Ministry of Education’s language being used for the Attendance Service roles are Supervisors (the leadership team). The front-line staff are Case Managers who are Attendance Advisors and in Term 2 the team will be Case Navigator and Rangitahi Whānau Worker to strengthen the work of the Attendance Advisor.

Kia ora koutou,

My name is Chance De Luen, and I'm thrilled to join the ACES Attendance Team. With over 20 years of experience supporting at-risk youth whānau/families, I have developed a passion for community engagement, youth development, and building strong relationships.

My journey includes roles in Youth Justice, Family Support Services, and Alternative Education, working with Council Boards, Agencies, Schools, and Communities across Auckland. I am committed to empowering young people and strengthening communities and supporting the engagement of rangatahi at an education destination.

As a proud parent and community-focused professional, I am excited to bring my skills and experience to ACES Attendance Services and support our shared goal of making a positive difference in our ākonga futures.

A Non-Enrolment Notification (NEN) must be submitted to the Ministry of Education (MoE) when a student is absent for 20 consecutive school days without explanation OR when they leave without enrolling in a new school. The form must be completed within 5 school days of receiving a NEN task in ENROL.

Key Times for Non-Enrolment Notifications:

• 20 Consecutive Days Absent: If a student has been away for 20 consecutive school days and you have not been advised that the absence is temporary, they must be withdrawn in ENROL, and a NEN initiated immediately.

• Known Non-Return: If you have reason to believe a student will not return to your school, even if they have been absent for less than 20 days, update ENROL and initiate the NEN.

• "Continuous Absence" Withdrawal: As of February 12, 2025, any student withdrawn due to continuous absence requires a NEN submitted at the time of withdrawal, or a task will be generated in ENROL for it.

Actions Required:

• Complete within 5 days: Ensure the NEN form is completed within 5 school days of a task being generated.

• Include Details: Include all contact details for the student and any information that will assist in locating them, including actions taken to address non-attendance.

• Update ENROL: Always update the Student Enrolment Register (ENROL) to reflect the student’s last day of attendance.

If you are unsure, please email admin@aces.school.nz or the MoE.

Arrive/Attend = Learning = Success/Opportunity. We are all in this together.

If you would like to contribute directly today to the amazing mahi of ACES in a small or larger way, please feel to click our giving portal here.