Teenage school refusal & court fines

[Mummamoooftwo]

Hi all. I’m wondering if anyone knows the process of the school fines. I have a almost 16 yr old refusing to go 4put of 5 days a week. She has adhd & pretty sure anxiety & some kind of depression. She has 20% attendance since sept. We have an education welfare officer now involved. Plus an early help support worker since end of the year. Plus we are just starting work with an IAP as camhs refused to help. I have taken a call from the local authority & more than likely have a fine coming. My question is will it just be £60? Or more & at what point is the next step & what is it? It’s really stressing me out that this girl just refuses to go. I spend all morning expected to be persuading her. I’m stressed I’m going to end up in court! If it’s mental health for her will they be more lenient? X she only has 12 weeks left of school til she finishes as she’s in year 11.

There is a group called 'not fine in school' who will be better placed to offer support and guidance. You have my sympathy as currently going through this with my 13yr old

<a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=notfineinschool.co.uk/&ved=2ahUKEwigzZLnh-T1AhUWi1wKHSX3Da8QFnoECAgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3LfG2xhwF7bEMRDuIusu5R" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=notfineinschool.co.uk/&ved=2ahUKEwigzZLnh-T1AhUWi1wKHSX3Da8QFnoECAgQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3LfG2xhwF7bEMRDuIusu5R

you have my sympathy too. I could have written your post although my DD does not have ADHD. She does a severe anxiety condition diagnosed by CAMHS some years ago, is also approaching 16 and heading into year 11; she's now been out of school since October. I am really struggling to know who to turn to and am so overwhelmed by it all. I hope you find some answers somewhere. If you're anything like me it feels impossible to talk about to anyone in real life

Thankyou I’ll take a look at that group x is it on Facebook or google or something? X

@malteser1212 it’s hard work isn’t it! Try getting an early help support worker as they come round your house. Have you had any fines yet? Not one day in since Oct? I’m the only person who’s come up with this problem so yeah talking to people isn’t helping haha x I think if I can find out that in the 12 weeks we have left that I might only get the £60 fine I’ll be fine & no longer stress. It’s hard but I think I need to let her f**k up a little to realise as currently she thinks she better than me & onnoxius af 🙂 x

l don' t think they can fine you if its a mental health issue, and rightly so.
I also feel for you, this situation is bad enough without the fear of being fined, authorities are so inept and out of their depth in dealing with school refusal issues, they can only resort to using fear. It is an utter disgrace, my husband died suddenly and they thought telling my son l would be sent to prison would be an incentive. ??
These are the idiots you are up against.
What l have learnt is that if you have a child struggling with school anxiety you are well and truly on your own, thank God for the Not Fine At School website.

@Mummamoooftwo it's such hard work 😓 i am living day to day as thinking ahead is just too frightening. She managed one day back in November and since then nothing. Not without trying I have to add. Not yet had a fine so I have no idea what is coming, sorry I can't advise. I'm so sorry that you are going through it too but it is reassuring to know that I am not the only one. How did get your early help support worker get assigned? How do I contact one? I will definitely be looking at the Not Fine in School page. I really, really hope it's only a £60 fine - I am fully anticipating it and in my mind it will be much more than that but, like you, I have no one to find out from. If only "they" could see how much we do / worry about the whole situation that in itself is burden enough.

@Ouchyhurt I'm sorry you too are going through this.

@Moonface123 My goodness I am so sorry to read your situation. That is horrendous - your poor DS (and you of course). I hope that you are all in a better place now? The system is not set up to cater for anything that falls outside of its remit.

@malteser1212 - school put in the application for me. But I filled it out with them. As it was about our relationship & how it’s effecting home life.

@Ouchyhurt - gonna check out the website. shortly. God if mine was younger I think I’d be stressing out even more. Bless you x

@Moonface123 - think there holding off for our IAP report to confirm if it’s mental health or behaviour. Early help worker is fully communicating with the local authority which is definitely helping… like I say we need to get to the root of the problem to solve it! 🤞🏻🤞🏻 Awful that’s what they said to your son… 😞 x