Is your child or young person struggling with school attendance?
At School Can’t Australia we understand the challenges and distress of caring for a child or young person experiencing school attendance difficulties.
As Australia’s largest national parent/carer peer support community for school attendance difficulties (often referred to as school refusal and school avoidance), we’re here to offer our support, guidance, and a listening ear.
14,000+
members in our Facebook
support group
38%
of year 1-10 kids were
chronically absent in 2023
10+ years
of co-created lived experience knowledge and peer support
INTRODUCING
School Can’t Australia
Established in 2014, in response to the lack of dedicated support services for families whose children and young people are experiencing school attendance difficulties.
We are currently run by volunteers, who are themselves parents and carers. We aim to provide support and advice for parents, carers, educators and health professionals informed by our lived experience knowledge.
SCA currently has over 14,000 members with a significant wait time to join the Facebook group. Membership requests have been doubling in size every twelve months. We urgently require funding.
HOW WE
Help the community
Support
We facilitate a peer support community for parents and carers of children experiencing school attendance difficulties in a private Facebook group.
The group helps reduce social isolation and distress, providing a safe space for parents and carers to learn from lived experience wisdom.
Empower
We provide the tools, support, resources and community for parents and carers to become empowered and confident advocates.
We assist parents to re-frame and make sense of the experiences of their children and young people.
We empower health and education professionals with knowledge about school can’t informed by our lived experience.
Advocate
As we advocate for systemic change across mental health, education, disability and welfare, we highlight the lived experiences of children and young people and their parents and carers.
We believe every child has the right to an accessible and inclusive education, to feel safe and to be treated with compassion.
Read about our submission to the 2022 Australian Senate Inquiry into School refusal. We invite you to join us in advocacy.
Get in Touch!
Parents & Carers may request to join the School Can’t Australia community Here. (Please respond to ALL questions in your application).
Media, professionals, government, researchers and educators can connect with us through the web form or via email: schoolcantaustralia@gmail.com
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