In the UK it's absolutely common for schools to be involved in family welfare simply because the other arms of the state have withered away to uselessness. In t

In the UK it's absolutely common for schools to be involved in family welfare simply because the other arms of the state have withered away to uselessness. In theory there's a concept of "Team Around The Child" where the various agencies - school, social services, social housing, sometimes even police - can come together to help the child through the rough circumstances they're in. In practice, the only one of those that isn't entirely dysfunctional is the school, and so you'll often find school headteachers or SENCOs basically acting as the sole champion of a kid from a troubled family.