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Listening to Families: EBSA Experiences Across Derbyshire

Section 1 - About your child/young person
1.What age is your child/young person?
2.Does your child/young person have an EHCP?
3.Are you a parent carer for more than one child or young person?
4.What type of education setting does your child attend (or last attended)?
5.Which school or education setting does your child/young person currently attend (or most recently attend)?
(Please write the name of the school or setting. This helps us understand patterns across Derbyshire. Your response will remain anonymous.)
SECTION 2 — EBSA Experience
6.Has your child experienced emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA)?
7.Has your child or young person become upset or distressed when attending (or preparing to attend) their education setting?
8.Have you struggled to get your child or young person into their education setting due to distress?
9.How long has your child/young person been out of school or attending school irregularly due to EBSA?
10.Did this situation resolve after a period of time?
11.If you wish, please describe how EBSA first presented for your child
12.Has anyone ever used or explained the term ‘Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)’ to you?
13.How would you describe the main factors contributing to your child’s EBSA? (tick all that apply)
SECTION 3 — Support from School and Services
14.Did you feel confident, as a parent carer, in knowing what to do when difficulties began?
15.How well do you feel supported by your child's/young persons setting when it comes to EBSA?
16.What support strategies has the school offered? (tick all that apply)
17.How effective have these strategies been for your child?
18.If EBSA did not resolve after trying the strategies suggested by the setting, what happened next?
19.Were you aware of the Derbyshire County Council EBSA Toolkit before or during support for your child?
20.How helpful did you find the EBSA Toolkit (if used)
21.Has your child’s educational setting told you that they are using the Derbyshire EBSA Toolkit to support your child?
22.Has your child had support from any external services regarding EBSA?
23.How easy or difficult has it been to access support for EBSA?
24.Please describe any positive experiences of support you have received.
25.Please describe any challenges or barriers you have faced in getting support
Section 4 - Attendance, Recording and Enforcement
26.Were you made aware of how your child’s attendance would be recorded?
27.How has your child’s absence related to EBSA been recorded by the school? (This helps us understand whether families are receiving appropriate attendance coding and avoiding unnecessary fines.)
28.Did you experience challenges in reporting your child as absent due to EBSA?
29.Were you ever issued with a letter of concern related to EBSA‑related absence?
30.Were you ever issued with a fine related to EBSA‑related absence?
31.If you wish, please describe any concerns or positive experiences you have had around how the school has recorded your child’s attendance.
SECTION 5 — Impact
32.How much has EBSA impacted your child’s wellbeing?
33.How much has EBSA impacted you as a parent carer?
34.How much has EBSA impacted your family life?
35.If you wish, please describe the impact EBSA has had on your child or family.
SECTION 6 — Improvements and Future Support
36.What types of support would have made (or would make) the biggest difference for your child?
37.How would you know that things around EBSA in Derbyshire have improved?
38.What one thing would you like the local area to prioritise for children experiencing EBSA?
39.Is there anything else you would like to share about your EBSA experience?