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Supporting Parent Carers to find solutions for school attendance difficulties

Define Fine is a parent/carer-led organisation set up in response to the growing number of children and young people who experience school attendance difficulties. 

This is sometimes referred to as ‘school refusal’, or emotionally based school avoidance however these phrases may not explain the full picture of the barriers to attendance which may be due to any number of complex reasons such unmet Special Educational Needs & Disabilities including physical or mental illness, either suspected or diagnosed, bullying or issues relating to academic pressure, or even the school environment.

School attendance difficulties are complex but all too often these children are described as being “fine” when they are in school. Define Fine has produced resources based on relevant government policies and guidance, to help parents and their families to work with professionals to assess and then plan appropriate and timely support.

Guidance and Resources

Our Barriers to Attendance guide is based on statutory and other  government guidance to enable parent carers  and professionals to  work together  to find solutions around attendance  difficulties.
We also share links to useful information  and research from   trusted sources. 

Parent Peer Support

We provide peer support  for parent carers through our closed Facebook  Group, webinars , Q&A sessions and some direct support  to  empower them with an understanding of the relevant government guidance so they can advocate for their own children and young people. 


Training and Consultancy

We provide  training and consultancy to  Parent Carer Forums, SENDiass, Mental health and SEND support groups, local authorities, ICB's and other  organisations. 
We have two CPD accredited webinars with Q&A sessions which can be tailored to requirements. 

COURSES AND SUPPORT

We support Parent Carers and offer training and advocacy to Professionals and Support Organisations