School absences

The increase in school absences among children and young people and related challenges have been observed extensively at the international level for years now. There has been an effort to create common terminology around the phenomenon. With the help of common concepts, we gain a shared understanding of school absences, can compare internationally used operating methods, and understand the complex phenomenon better. Common concepts are also important for communication, and they facilitate both multidisciplinary cooperation and client work.

The concepts used in Finland, based on internationally prevalent terminology, have been published in the ‘Our common school path’ handbook. School attendance problems has become a general term describing the phenomenon more extensively, allowing us to identify a child or young person who has fallen outside the school community. Terminology used in addition to ‘school attendance problems’ includes problematic absences, prolonged absences, irregular school attendance and concerning absenteeism. These concepts help us to name the nature of observed absences and to identify the concerns arising from them. Concepts referring to a child’s or young person’s identity, such as “dropout”, have been abandoned. Other concepts related to the phenomenon include school attachment and school attendance.

A situational picture refers to an information-based overall picture of a child’s or young person’s school absence situation. ‘Situational picture’ and ‘summary’ are often used interchangeably. The situational picture should be structured as a written or visual representation so that it can be examined together.

A shared understanding refers to a target state where a child or young person, the parents and the employees have a uniform understanding of the child’s or young person’s school absence situation based on an accurate situational picture. The shared understanding is primarily established together with the family on the basis of a summary created by an employee. The lack of a shared understanding could result in a situation where different parties have different or conflicting views of a child’s or young person’s school absence situation or where the network disagrees on the need for support.

A shared understanding is created by thoroughly reviewing the summary of a child’s or young person’s school absence with the child or young person and their parents. The child or young person and their parents have the right to specify, correct and participate in creating the shared understanding so that it reflects their life situation and reality.

School absences can have a number of underlying factors, and it is rarely possible to point to a single factor as the reason. The more risk factors are observed in a child’s or young person’s life, the greater the possibility of increased school absences. It is easier to identify risks when we are aware of the factors that promote school absences among children and young people.

Factors affecting school absences have been divided into two main categories: individual factors and environmental factors.

Individual factors may include: age, gender, mental health, learning difficulties, physical health and illnesses, fear of failure, substance abuse, poor self-esteem, lack of motivation, being active at night.

Environmental factors include 1) family and parenting factors (e.g. negative development trajectories in the family, socio-economic background, parental support), 2) peer factors (e.g. peer pressure, loneliness, bullying), 3) school factors (e.g. teacher-student relationships, school atmosphere, educational factors) and 4) community and social factors (e.g. youth culture, educational system, neighbourhood).

Even if factors affecting school absences are identified, it should be kept in mind that each child and young person is different and deals with matters that happen in their lives in individual ways. For this reason, each child’s or young person’s school absence situation must be approached with an open mind and by mapping out the situation sufficiently extensively, which allows forming an accurate situational picture of the child or young person in question.

In recent years, school absences among children and young people have mainly been examined from two perspectives. Those perspectives help to conceptualise the complexity of school absences and the need of a child or young person to be absent from school. David Heyney divides school absences into types of absences, which helps us understand what kind of absence each case concerns. Christopher Kearney, on the other hand, divides school absences into functional reasons, or what kinds of needs guide the child’s or young person’s school absence behaviour. These perspectives are mutually supportive and should be examined together.

• Emotional based school avoidance A child or young person refuses to go to school. The parents know that the child is not at school and are trying to get them to school.
• School withdrawal The guardians want to keep the child at home or do not try hard enough to get the child to go to school.
• Truancy The child or young person skips certain classes without permission from school staff. The parents do not usually know about it.
• School exclusion The school excludes the child or young person from school, for example by suspending them or by shortening their school days without authorisation.

Effective work to improve a school absence situation requires identifying the factors that cause and maintain the absenteeism behaviour. Understanding the reasons behind a child’s or young person’s absences is essential for finding a comprehensive solution to the situation.

All measures and help aimed to reduce school absences are founded on an adequate assessment of the situation. Sometimes it is easy to identify the reasons behind school absences and to start appropriate support measures. However, it is often the case that the reason for a child’s or young person’s difficult school absence situation is not known. 

The purpose of mapping out the situation is to find out the reasons behind the absences, which is important for focusing on the right issues. For mapping out the situation, sometimes having a conversation (with the child or young person / their parents) is enough, while at other times, the research-based school absence surveys SRAS-R and ISAP can clarify the underlying reasons for the absences. If the school absence situation has become complicated and the efforts to improve the situation are not working, there is reason to stop and take time to thoroughly map out the situation (see next chapter).

If support measures are taken without a fundamental understanding of the child’s or young person’s situation, there is a risk that the measures will be ineffective or even have an adverse effect on the situation. This, in turn, involves the risk that the child or young person and their parents lose hope for change or become weary of the offered help. For this reason, working in challenging school absence situations must always start by thoroughly mapping out the situation. The reasons for absences must be assessed regardless of their reported reason. For example, it is known that absences reported as sick leave may be caused by symptoms of depression and anxiety. It should be borne in mind that a child or young person may have many symptoms due to an issue such as depression, but said symptoms are not necessarily the reason for the child’s or young person’s absences. Instead, there may be factors behind the absences that are unrelated to depression. That is why the child’s or young person’s situation must be mapped out extensively enough to ensure that the offered support measures not only address the symptom but also the reasons why the child or young person is not attending school. As a rule, a more in-depth investigation of absences is primarily the responsibility of student welfare professionals or other parties working with the family (e.g. social services).

One systematic and guided way to start working in challenging school absence situations is the intervention for structuring school absence situations(external link). The intervention consists of three steps: 1) the mapping phase, 2) the outline phase and 3) the goal-making and planning phase.

The root causes of frequent absences are very individual and personal, which is why they should be approached and examined individually and thoughtfully. It is important to create an atmosphere where people are not looking for someone to blame, instead trying to understand what the current situation is and what background factors affect the absences. Being heard and encountered are important elements when mapping out a situation. The mapping phase increases understanding and makes it possible to talk about things, which in itself can already alleviate the child’s or young person’s situation. Mapping out the situation helps everyone gain more insight into the situation and how to proceed to resolve it. Enough time should be reserved for the mapping process, and it should be planned in advance. Often, our first instinct is to solve problems immediately, but it is essential to stop and find out what is going on.

When mapping out school absences, it is important to use several different methods. The reliability of the mapping is enhanced by the use of structured interviews and surveys to cover all topics. No diagnoses are made in the mapping process, but different symptoms should be investigated. The mapping process removes any interpretations and misunderstandings. After mapping out the situation, it is very important to structure the overall situation for yourself, the family and the network by summarising the process. It is important to structure existing and collected information to clarify a muddled situation. This helps to discover the issues that can be influenced and used as basis for planning appropriate and individual support measures. Establishing a shared understanding is an essential part of the process. Cooperation and a common direction are prerequisites for a successful intervention.

Make sure that established goals are reasonable and achievable and give the child / young person a chance for success. This helps commitment to the change work.

Share the information discovered in the mapping process to all those who need it so that everyone involved can work towards the same goals.

Training on the intervention for structuring school absence situations was offered in Luvn Lanupe services in 2024 in the School, Together project. Training will also be provided in 2025. The intervention can also be used without training, just by following the guide.

Source: KouluKunnossa_opas_kartoitukseen_12_2024.pdf(external link) (in Finnish)

School absence situations are often prolonged and may be unclear for the parents and professionals alike. Once the factors behind the absences have been mapped out and the discovered information has been structured into a situational picture for everyone involved in the child’s or young person’s situation, it is possible to establish a shared understanding of what is going on. Structuring the situation also reinforces the sense that it is possible to influence the situation and effect change. Structuring the situation also eliminates the risk of an employee making mistakes and interpretations. It is important to involve the entire network helping the child or young person in understanding the situational picture, so that everyone has an idea of the overall situation and why the child or young person is not coming to school. A shared understanding refers to a target state where a child or young person, the parents and the employees have a uniform understanding of the child’s or young person’s school absence situation based on an accurate situational picture. The shared understanding is primarily established together with the family on the basis of a situational picture created by an employee.  Only when there is a shared understanding is it possible to find a common direction and objective that everyone can commit to, so that everyone involved can work towards the same goals. The process of generating a shared understanding should not be rushed, as it clarifies what is going on and which matters should be addressed. The lack of a shared understanding could result in a situation where different parties have different or conflicting views of a child’s or young person’s school absence situation or where the network disagrees on the need for support.

School attendance problems are a complex phenomenon that can rarely be solved by a single organisation. Since the reasons behind school attendance problems often extend to all aspects of a child’s or young person’s life, the situation cannot be resolved in a single operating environment. The importance of multiprofessional cooperation is emphasised, for example because it enables extensive service combinations offered together by different actors. Therefore, effective cooperation between the school, home, social work and health care plays a key role when considering what kind of support and services would enable the child or young person to return to regular school attendance. In multiprofessional cooperation, the child or young person who does not attend school and their parents are an important part of the work. When successful, cooperation creates opportunities to take timely and well-targeted support measures. Creating hope is a key part of the work.

According to studies, although multiprofessional cooperation is important, it entails many challenges related to the division of responsibilities, information sharing, process, cooperation and a lack of available means in the system.

A multiprofessional systemic work approach(external link) that is inclusive to the family can ease the challenges of cooperation and improve the effectiveness of services for children, young people and families. The work approach takes into account the entire family, the impact of family members on each other and the entire family system, and the impact of the system outside the family (e.g. school) on the child and family. The systemic work approach is a way of thinking about the situation of a child, young person and family in a relationship-centred way and guided by systemic perspectives.  The systemic work approach is also a method of interacting with clients in a way that strengthens their agency and participation. It enables working together with children, young people and families and their networks to find solutions and resources in close relationships and in wider networks.

In 2023, the Basic Education Act was amended to include a provision on schools’ obligation to prevent absences. Even before the legislative amendment, schools were obliged to monitor absences and notify guardians of them. The aim of the legislative amendment is to create consistent, law-based activities in schools to prevent school-related well-being problems. As a result of the legislative amendment, the basic tasks of schools include a stronger emphasis on promoting the school attachment of children and young people. Since social welfare and health care services can also strengthen school attachment in difficult cases of school absence, it is useful to understand the different aspects of school attachment.

School attachment refers to the interactive relationship between a child or young person and the school environment. This kind of interactive relationship ebbs and flows and develops constantly in all situations. School attachment occurs in three areas:

• Emotional attachment: emotional experiences related to school. For example, the experience of belonging to a group and having a safe atmosphere, noticing the good and reinforcing the positive. Emotions guide learning.
• Functional engagement: active participation and inclusion at school. For example, the experience of being heard, being included in the content of teaching and having school day routines.
• Cognitive attachment: putting effort into learning and school attendance. For example, self-image and self-esteem as a learner, appropriately challenging school assignments, opportunity to demonstrate competence in versatile ways.

When a child or young person has a challenging school absence situation, their attachment has usually suffered in one or more areas. Of the three aspects of school attachment, emotional attachment plays a major role. According to research results, even a 10% absence rate (i.e. 48 hours per semester for grades 5-6 and 57 hours for grades 7-9) is a sign of an increased risk of growing absences.

Support related to school attachment does not only take place in the school environment, and it should be supported in the child’s other growth environments as well, for example at home, in hobbies and in services offered by the wellbeing services county.

When a child or young person has been absent from school for a long time, returning to school is rarely quick and easy. There is usually a long-term need for support when working on returning to school, which requires effort and commitment from the child or young person and their parents, school staff and other members of the network helping them.

It is important that both the school and social welfare and health care services appoint persons who are responsible for the matters of the child or young person who has been absent from school for a long time, and that these appointed persons are in close cooperation with each other and the parents. Close and goal-oriented cooperation is essential so that the child’s return to school can be achieved with small goals and a clear operating model. Possible obstacles to attending school must be identified and verbalised, and it is important to plan together in advance what to do in difficult situations. Allowances related to school should be made initially, since the most important thing is to get the child or young person to school first and only then think about matters related to learning.

Factors that make it easier to return to school:

• A thorough situational picture of the factors behind the absences has been created, and all parties have a shared understanding of it.
• A shared return-to-school plan has been created with the child or young person, their parents, the school and other support network.
• The child or young person should resume a regular daily routine about 7–14 days before the agreed return to school.
• Proactive discussion on returning to school and related concerns.
• Proactive activities before returning to school (e.g. visiting the schoolyard, taking the way to school).
• Support and encouragement for parents on keeping to the plan.

It is important that the professional support offered to a family to support a child’s or young person’s return to school is based on mapped-out information and situational picture and focused on jointly agreed matters. Services offered at home can support the family, for example in restoring everyday routines and a daily schedule and in creating a shared plan and exercises for returning to school.

 Some European interventions for school absences have been used or tested in Finland as well.

The Hemmasittare model, developed in Sweden, is an intervention model based on the working methods of cognitive behavioural therapy and behavioural learning theory, and it is specifically meant for resolving challenging and chronic school absences. Work with the family is goal-oriented, long-term and rehabilitative, based on an extensive initial mapping of the reasons for the school absences and a good working relationship between the employee and the family.

Another method used in Finland that focuses on resolving school absences comes from Denmark. The Back2School intervention is a structured family intervention to reduce school absences, based on cognitive behavioural therapy. The intervention is adjusted to the individual needs of the child or young person, which are investigated with a structured initial assessment. The Back2School intervention has also been piloted in Finland in 2021–2024.

The Hemmasittare model and the Back2School intervention have inspired the guide for mapping out school absence situations and determining the underlying reasons(external link) produced by the KouluKunnossa project. Our wellbeing services county refers to this guide as the intervention for structuring school absence situations.

Other interventions that have a long history in Europe but that have not landed in Finland:

• Modular Treatment (Germany) for young people who have mental health problems and whose school absences are classified as either school refusal or truancy.
• Link intervention (Netherlands) for young people with school refusal behaviour.

The school absence phenomenon can also be examined from a communal perspective. In addition to individual and family-specific support measures, the prevention of school absences and support for school attendance can involve communal work. School attendance relates to many communities that the child or young person could attach to. The reasons for absences and the factors that maintain absenteeism could be related to the family community, friendships, classroom atmosphere or operating methods, or the adult community of the school, for example.

Once the underlying reasons for absences and the factors maintaining absenteeism have been mapped out and identified, it is important to review that information with the school (and any other relevant parties). This is an appropriate stage for reflecting on and discovering other forms of communal support to support the individual’s school attendance. Examples include small group activities, peer support, support measures targeted at the class/group, or support offered for the adult community of the school.

A factor related to a pupil’s school absence can be addressed in the community on a general level without specifically linking the matter to the pupil. For example, ways of intervening in bullying or support measures that promote a better class atmosphere can be designed to benefit individuals through the community. With the permission of the pupil and by mutual agreement, the matter can also be discussed in the community by directly talking about the individual, for example by agreeing that classmates will not ask the pupil why they have been absent.

Dialogic methods, such as the Timeout dialogues(external link), can be used to create a deeper understanding. The Timeout dialogues aim for better encounters, understanding of others and new insights. The Timeout dialogues are suitable for different organisations and communities, and they can and should be modified if necessary.