Hello everyone,

It's been a while since our last update; sadly, this is not positive. 

Maddie and I still hear daily from parents and carers about how they are being treated over their children's absence from school due to mental health and other genuine reasons for absence. This includes:

• Threatened with fines and prosecution - in place of support
• Being fined and prosecuted - including in scenarios where the Local Authority has failed in its duty to provide support or Education
• Attendance Guidance is seemingly ignored by Attendance Officers who threaten unauthorised absences and legal action when the Department for Education's guidance states these should be a last resort.
• Being forced to decide to "electively" home educate and de-register from school to avoid facing fines and prosecution.

These actions are causing significant distress and suffering to many families. 

The Education Select Committee recently concluded its inquiry on persistent absence, finding that school absence is a crisis that should be handled with better support. It calls for a major cross-government review into handling the current mental health crisis for school-age children. It also advised that:

The Committee heard arguments that in some cases fining families lacks support and compassion and should only be a last resort. DfE should produce a national framework and new statutory guidance for the use of fines and prosecution to ensure consistency across the country. 

You can read the Committees full report: here 

Changes can't come soon enough, and we await Schools Minister Nick Gibb and the Department for Education's response to the findings. 

In the meantime, there is a way you could help.

Nick Gibb and The Department for Education could tackle the issue of schools not authorising mental health issues urgently and immediately. This is not yet happening. This is where our call to action comes in:

Could you write to your MP and raise awareness that parents and carers can be threatened with fines and prosecution when their unwell children cannot attend school and that this shouldn't be happening?

An email to your MP could contain the following:

• Your own experience of fines and prosecutions or threats of, if this has happened to you
• Reminding your MP that absences for mental health and other valid reasons should be authorised - and that children who can't attend school shouldn't experience having their families fined or prosecuted.
• Sending your MP the link to the Education Select Committee inquiry into Persistent Absence and their findings.
• Telling your MP that this issue is important to you and asking them to take action - this action could include asking a question in the House of Commons or to the Education Select Committee. 

You can find your own MP here, including their email details.  

We will continue raising awareness and campaigning to end unfair fines and prosecution until this practice stops.

Thank you for reading and for your support. 

Maddie and Susan x