From Analysis Action: Using EBSA to make a difference
Attendance difficulties often accompany the complex circumstances that bring these children to the attention of the DSL in the first place. The statutory guidance explicitly states that DSLs must understand "the welfare, safeguarding and child protection issues that children in need are experiencing, or have experienced, and identifying the impact that these issues might be having on children's attendance, engagement and achievement at school".
Many children your work with will likely be experiencing EBSA alongside their other challenges. Having practical resources to draw from isn't just useful - it's essential for supporting these vulnerable children holistically.
Your EBSA Starter Toolkit
Over the previous blogs, we've explored three key resources: the "What is EBSA" video for staff training, the CATS checklist for collaborative parent engagement, and Risk and Resilience Profiles for systematic assessment. These tools provide an excellent starting point for understanding and supporting vulnerable children experiencing attendance difficulties.
From Understanding to Action
Once you've understood the context of the student's needs and the specific risk and resilience factors affecting them, you need put in place practical strategies that make a difference. Our overarching goal is to reduce the risk factors that we believe are likely to be driving the EBSA whilst simultaneously building up the strengths and protective factors that we know ultimately are likely to lead to improved attendance, engagement and wellbeing at school.
EdPsychED's strategy grids provide evidence-based interventions organised around three key areas: child-focused, home-focused, and school-focused factors. These are not intended to be worked through and ticked off, but instead serve as a tool to return to when wanting to explore different ideas and strategies that are linked to areas of risk that the child has identified as significant, as well as areas of resilience in which they would like to see change occur. EdPsychED's comprehensive training, delivered in bite size sessions, also includes structured action planning documents that help translate these strategies into coordinated support plans, ensuring all team members understand their role in supporting each child's individual needs.
Download the grids and compare these to the risk & resilience spider charts you've developed for the young person. Which of the strategies set out is the 'best fit'? How will they work for the student and their family? What resources might you have in place to support this work? How will you tell when you are making a difference?
A Person-Centred Approach
The exact strategy should come from a person-centred approach. Every child has unique circumstances, strengths, and challenges. Some may benefit from home-based interventions that strengthen family routines, others might need school-based support like a safe space or trusted adult relationship, while some require child-focused strategies to develop coping skills.
As a DSL, you're uniquely positioned to influence this holistic approach (alongside attendance colleagues where you have them). You understand the child's broader circumstances, you have relationships with families, and you can advocate within school systems for the environmental changes these children need.
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE EBSA STRATEGY GRID
Building Whole-School Understanding
We've shared a series of resources with you in these four blog posts, and while they offer an excellent foundation, the most effective EBSA support happens when entire school teams share a deep understanding of trauma-informed approaches to attendance. When all staff - from teachers to support staff - understand EBSA principles, vulnerable children experience consistent, compassionate responses across every interaction.
The free resources shared by Safeguarding Network provide a strong starting point for supporting vulnerable children with EBSA. For schools ready to develop comprehensive whole-school approaches, EdPsychED have tiered training programs help build the deeper understanding and skills needed across all staff levels and a series aimed specifically at parents to empower them in their work with you to improve attendance.
These resources provide you with practical tools to begin supporting vulnerable children experiencing EBSA, helping ensure their complex circumstances don't further compromise their educational engagement.
Safeguarding Network is offering members and blog readers discount codes of up to £100 off EdPsychEd’s School Training resources with our special discount codes.
Individual Staff Training Licence
£10 off for Members and Non-members - use code EBSA10
£25 off for Non-members - use code EBSA25
£50 off for Safeguarding Network Members - use code SGN50
Whole School and Family License
£25 off for Non-members - use code EBSA25
£100 off for Safeguarding Network Members - use code SGN100
LEARN MORE ABOUT EBSA HORIZONS SCHOOL TRAINING AND JOIN TODAY
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Free Webinar: School Wellbeing and Attendance: Creating a Compassionate and Child-Centre Approach - 2 December 2025
Through this webinar, Dr Jerricah Holder will provide an overview of the school wellbeing literature and key psychological models essential to understanding the needs of children who find it difficult and distressing to attend school. Moving away from the language of school refusal and with increased emphasis on a more compassionate and child-centred approach, Dr Jerricah Holder will share her ‘Integrated Model of EBSA’ enabling Designated Safeguarding Leads to develop a greater understanding of the complex and often multi-faceted aspects of school avoidance behaviours. The child and family perspective will be integrated throughout, with videos of children and parents sharing their journey.
About EdPsychEd
EdPsychEd offer a comprehensive CPD course with associated resources to support your setting’s work with Emotional Based School Avoidance. Their Horizons training takes a tiered approach to building your staff understanding of EBSA in an eLearning format with child-friendly assessment resources to support your work with students.
Effective work around attendance involves and empowers students and their families. At the request of local authorities EdPsychEd developed a learning and resource series for families to follow to improve their understanding and approach to reducing Emotional Based School Avoidance in their children.
If you would like to discuss EdPsychEd's offering please contact Dr Jenny Dutton directly, here.
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