About us

School Can’t Australia (SCA) was established in 2014, in response to the lack of dedicated support services for families whose children and young people are experiencing school attendance difficulties. SCA provides peer support for parents and primary carers through a Facebook group.

SCA is run by volunteers from around the country, who are themselves parents and carers of children and young people experiencing school attendance difficulties. Many of our volunteers have qualifications in allied health and teaching.

WHAT WE DO

Support, Empower, Advocate

SCA provides peer advice and support for parents including:

✾ General information and advice on issues relevant to school can’t.

✾ Building parent/carer well-being.

✾ Connection and mutual support.

✾ A safe space to unpack and make sense of what has happened.

✾ Guidance and lived experience knowledge.

✾ In person and virtual support meetings.

✾ Direction to external crisis and emergency support.

✾ An opportunity to help others.

✾ Direction to resources and support services.

Other activities of the group include:

  • ✾ Advocating for the needs of parents, carers, children and young people.

  • ✾ Collaborating with researchers and policymakers.

  • ✾ Conducting lived experience research.

  • ✾ Raising awareness and creating shared understandings of school can’t.

SCA currently has over 15,000 members with almost 3000 members waiting to join the Facebook group. Membership has been doubling in size every year since the group started.

We urgently require funding to reduce the long wait times for membership to our group. You can help by donating here.

MEET OUR

Board of directors

Tiffany Westphal

she/her

BSocWk, GradDMgt, BA

Stephen Campbell

he/him

MSc (Oxon) | CTeach | FCCT | FRSA | MAICD

Louise Rogers

she/her

BSc/BE (Hons), MTeach (Primary)

Christina Evans

she/her

B. Bus

Georgie Withers

she/her

GAICD | FAIM | CAHRI

Emma Burchell

she/her

MBA, BHSc, MAICD

HOW WE

Help the community

Support

We facilitate a peer support community for parents and carers of children experiencing school attendance difficulties on Facebook. Find our community here: School Can’t Australia

Please note due to high demand there is currently a significant wait time in joining the group. We are working to reduce this delay. In the coming weeks we will start sharing resources on our website.

Empower

We build parent/carer understandings about school can’t and provide resources that enable them to support their child/young person. Topics include: problem solving, collaboration with schools, alternative education settings, self-compassion, stress, self regulation, co-regulation, mental health, disability, and inclusion.

Our resources will soon be shared here and on our public Facebook page here

Advocate

We provide the lived experience voice of children and young people, and their parents / carers to inform and influence systemic change across education, disability, mental health and welfare services.

Access our submission to the 2022 Australian Senate Inquiry into School Refusal here and our response to the final report here