Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to provide support to parents of children experiencing emotionally-based school refusal.

All children of compulsory school age are entitled to a full time education which is suitable to their age, ability, aptitude and any special educational needs they may have. Schools and local authorities are empowered to keep absences to a minimum and have measures available to support and promote good attendance.

Where parents are struggling to get their child to go to school, the school and local authorities can provide support and work with families to improve their child’s attendance. The Department’s advice on school attendance sets out that a conversation between parents and the school is the first step. It also sets out how schools and local authorities can help with wider issues. This guidance can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence/help-with-getting-your-child-to-go-to-school

Where there is an underlying mental health issue, such as a social anxiety disorder, schools should look to secure the right support. To help schools identify underlying mental health problems in young people, in June 2014, the Department issued advice on mental health and behaviour to ensure all young people get the help they need, which can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2

To secure specialist support where it is needed, the Government is making £1.4 billion available over the course of this Parliament to transform local children and young people’s mental health services to deliver more integrated and accessible services. We have also contributed to a £3 million joint pilot of single points of contact in schools and specialist mental health services to ensure students have timely access to appropriate specialist support where needed.

We are also promoting support for parents on mental health. We continue to provide funding to Young Minds for their Parent Helpline. We have also funded the MindEd website to provide a new section for parents – the materials include information for parents on children who refuse to go to school and what steps to take, this information is attached.