Don't know what to do about 16 year old

[Summerwood1]

'Pressing self district button'. I've had a dreadful time with this child. This week has been an awful one. In the past I've been attacked by the child. This week child has been hell bent doing things to try and get a reaction from me. I haven't reacted because I'm scared for my safety. Not gone to school at all this week,now education welfare involved. Said child now taken gone to stay at a friend's house because I'm so hated. Will school place be taken away? Does child have to return if doesn't want to?

I am sorry you are going through a tough time. I am having a horrendous time with my 16 year old too: school refusal, drugs, destruction, abusive language etc. Are the school helpful? Our school are outwardly so 'supportive', but it is all just lip service , they don't do anything. Is CAMHS involved?

I can't offer any advice since my own teenager is on self destruct too but I do sympathise. I'm beginning to think that the reasons school/CAMHS/SS etc are so useless is because there aren't any answers - after all, I can't make things better and I know and love her - not sure why I'm expecting strangers to be able to wave a magic wand. Are you in the UK? Education Authority is required to provide education so if child is permanently excluded they authority have to either find another school, educate in special unit or provide home education. Some of the small units are really good.

Unless the child has significant mental illness CAMHS wouldn't get involved, what with them being a service for children with significant mental illness..

Your best bet OP is to work with education welfare. They can be very supportive when they're not dealing with parents not bothering to send their children to school. If things don't resolve in a week or so then there might be a role for social care.

I understand how you're feeling: DD once refused to go to school in the morning, but come afternoon she was chipper! She even told me to "go away!" I realised that the best way to placate DD was to simply to double her allowance. She's fine now, so perhaps you should try this? Hope this helps.

Eh what True? I hope that was some misguided attempt at humour. Being attacked and scared of your child is massively different to being told to "go away". Yes I'm sure rewarding such behaviour with money is just what OP should do.