Understanding School Attendance Barriers and How to Help

One-day workshop to learn practical tips and strategies to support young people, based on our co-production work over the last four years Are you supporting young people experiencing school attendance barriers? Many existing approaches have been developed without input from young people and their carers, and as a result, don't always provide what is needed to make meaningful change. This practical session is grounded in extensive therapeutic group and 1-1 work, consultation and co-production with young people and their families, with their voices woven throughout. It will offer clear ways of understanding what is happening beneath the surface, along with practical approaches to help offer support that can make a real and lasting difference. What you'll learn • Understand what school attendance barriers actually are, and why the language we use around them matters • Recognise the early warning signs and risk factors • Work through our comprehensive assessment framework to truly get to the heart of what is happening • Explore how to personalise and tailor your support • Develop practical ways to work alongside schools and families • Learn how to support parents and carers more effectively • Explore creative and innovative strategies to support • Leave with concrete next steps you can take straight away Who this session is for This session is suitable for anyone supporting young people and their families who are experiencing school attendance barriers, including counsellors, mental health leads, pastoral teams, youth workers, and coaches. It is suitable for practitioners working in both 1:1 and group settings. The course views things through a therapeutic lens and is designed to offer long-term approaches of support that are child and family-centred. If you are noticing attendance barriers linked to anxiety, panic, separation, sensory overload, neurodivergence, physical health, mental health, or trauma, this session will give you a framework and approach that can make a real and lasting difference. What's included • 5 hours of CPD-accredited training • Comprehensive digital resource pack • All delivery materials, resources, and presentations • Refreshments throughout the day About the facilitator This session is delivered by Ange McMillan, an Autistic counsellor, supervisor, and trainer with 18 years of clinical experience. Ange believes that therapy needs to change if it is going to meet the needs of anxious and neurodivergent young people, and has spent four years developing and co-producing an approach with young people and their families that does exactly that. Elements of that woek will be shared throughout the session.