The Parent Association for School Refusers with Friends "Fuwasapo Kurashiki" - Aiming for a Community Where Parents and Guardians Can Raise Children Without Feeling Isolated

What should parents or guardians do if their child says, "I don't want to go to school"?

If the child is not feeling unwell, they may encourage them to go to school.

They might ask for the reasons for not wanting to go, or initially let them take a day off to see how things go.

If the situation of "not wanting to go to school" continues, many parents or guardians may feel confused.

Yasuyo Kitamura, the representative of the parent group for children who do not attend school, "Fuwasapo Kurashiki," said that when her child, who was in the second grade at the time, began to say "I don't want to go to school," she thought that even if they took a few days off, they would be able to go back to school soon.

This is because Kitamura's child was lonely not being able to see friends during summer vacation and was looking forward to going to school.

While she had understanding at her workplace, Kitamura chose to spend quality time with her child and received various support and consultations.

Amidst this, she established the parent group "Fuwasapo Kurashiki" for parents who tend to feel isolated due to their children's non-attendance at school.

Here, we will introduce the activities of the group, the background of its establishment, thoughts on its activities, and future prospects.

What is the parent group "Fuwasapo Kurashiki" for children who do not attend school?

The parent group "Fuwasapo Kurashiki" (hereafter referred to as Fuwasapo Kurashiki) is a place for parents of children who do not attend school or are reluctant to go to school to gather and chat.

The specific activities can be broadly divided into three categories.

Activity 1: Discussion meetings

One of the main activities is discussion meetings held twice a month at the Kurashiki Health and Welfare Plaza.

Creating a place where no participant is denied and where they can be their true selves is the goal of Fuwasapo Kurashiki.

While it is the children who suffer from not being able to go to school, parents and guardians also feel anxiety and worry.

To ensure that as many people as possible, not just those in Kurashiki City, can attend, they sometimes hold outreach discussion meetings with changed locations and times.

Activity 2: Information sharing and provision

In the discussion meetings, not only is there conversation, but various information is also provided.

In the past, experts have participated to share responses to children, and high school teachers and private supporters have provided specific support information.

Brochures and booklets from other support organizations are always available, and they also lend out books under the name Fuwasapo BOOKS.

Activity 3: Event planning

Sometimes, they plan events that parents and children can enjoy together that go beyond the discussion meetings.

▼ 2022 (Reiwa 4) Event Activity Records

In addition to activities as Fuwasapo Kurashiki, they actively connect with other support organizations to expand their network of activities.

The increasing number of children said to be non-attending school

From 2012 (Heisei 24) to the number of non-attending children has increased over 9 years.

What is non-attendance?

Non-attendance is defined as follows.

Those who have been absent for more than 30 days within the school year and are in a situation where they cannot attend school or do not want to attend due to some psychological, emotional, physical, or social factors or backgrounds (excluding those due to "illness," "economic reasons," or "avoidance of COVID-19").

From "Survey Results on Issues Related to Problem Behaviors and Non-attendance of Students for the 2021 School Year"

In October 2022 (Reiwa 4), the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology announced the "Survey Results on Issues Related to Problem Behaviors and Non-attendance of Students for the 2021 School Year".

According to the survey results, the number of non-attending children in public and private elementary and junior high schools nationwide is 244,940.

This is an increase of 48,813 from the 196,127 reported in the 2020 (Reiwa 2) survey results, far exceeding the increase of 14,855 from the 2020 (Reiwa 2) to 2021 (Reiwa 3) school years.

From the 2021 (Reiwa 3) survey results, the Kurashiki City Board of Education reported to the Kurashiki City Council that the number of non-attending children in Kurashiki City is 700.

The same number from the 2020 (Reiwa 2) survey results was 581, showing an increase similar to the national trend.

Support organizations related to non-attendance

In Kurashiki City, a booklet called Mental Hot Line has been created to introduce support organizations.

The cover features a list of support organizations, making it easy to see the support content of each organization, such as "parent groups" and "places for children to go."

I spoke with Yasuyo Kitamura, who established the parent group for children who do not attend school, "Fuwasapo Kurashiki."

Data on the parent group "Fuwasapo Kurashiki"

Organization Name	Parent group for children who do not attend school "Fuwasapo Kurashiki"
Representative Name	Yasuyo Kitamura
Year Established	2019
Address	180 Sasao, Kurashiki City
Website	Parent group for children who do not attend school "Fuwasapo Kurashiki"

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