School Refusal Support

Supporting students to engage in school

Helping students, families and schools to manage the complex issues that can cause non-attendance at school and help reduce young people’s anxiety.

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Tailored counselling support and guidance

Non-attendance can happen during or after a stressful life event or period of transition in a young person’s life (e.g. moving from primary to secondary school, family breakdown, loss, moving house and school, etc).

Young people may also develop a fear of school attendance or become disengaged as a result of trauma at school or home (e.g. bullying, parental conflict, family violence, etc).

Our professional counsellors can help by providing:

assessment and counselling for children, adolescents and their families
early intervention for students showing anxiety or the first signs of school refusal
confidential support from our counsellors
family and school support to keep young people attending school
referrals to specialist services
consultancy support for schools
family therapy

What does school refusal look like?

Prevention is the best solution. When a few missed days extend to a longer period of time, this can have serious consequences for a young person’s social, emotional and academic development and their long-term mental health and wellbeing. Download the information sheet below to learn more.

Learning what to look out for and addressing them early can help prevent non-attendance. School refusal can present in a number of ways:

crying spells and upsets before school
frequent physical complaints like headaches and stomach aches
fear of some teachers and/or other students
refusing to return to school after a weekend, holiday or illness
embarrassment about their inability to attend school
signs of anxiety, fear or distress
staying home or leaving school with the parent’s knowledge

Resources

School Refusal Information Sheet and Checklist

Download

Who is this service for?

All students in Catholic, State and Independent schools.

Fees

Fees are dependent on your income. At CCV we believe everyone should be able to access support for a better life. If you are experiencing financial hardship, we can discuss payment options for you.
If you want to access this support on behalf of a school, please contact us to discuss fee options.