“Fuwasapo Kurashiki,” a Support Group for Parents of Children Who Refuse to Attend School ～ Toward a Community Where Parents and Guardians Can Raise Their Children Without Feeling Isolated

If your child said, “I don’t want to go to school,” what should you, as a parent or guardian, do?

If they weren’t feeling unwell, you might encourage them to go to school.

You might ask why they don’t want to go, or let them stay home for the time being and see how things go.

But if the situation continued, with your child saying, “I don’t want to go to school,” many parents and guardians would feel at a loss.

Kitamura Yasuyo, representative of Fuwasapo Kurashiki, a peer support group for parents of children who do not attend school, says that when her child, then in second grade, began saying, “I don’t want to go to school,” she thought that even if the child took a few days off, they would soon be able to return to school.

That was because during summer vacation, her child missed seeing friends and looked forward to going to school.

Although she had understanding from her workplace, Kitamura chose to spend more quality time with her child and sought various forms of counseling and support.

Then, following a particular experience, she established Fuwasapo Kurashiki, a peer support group for parents of children who do not attend school, to help parents who often feel isolated.

Here, we introduce the group’s activities, the circumstances behind its founding, its members’ thoughts about their work, and their plans for the future.

What is Fuwasapo Kurashiki, a peer support group for parents of children who do not attend school?

Fuwasapo Kurashiki, a peer support group for parents of children who do not attend school (hereafter, Fuwasapo Kurashiki), is a place where parents of children who do not attend school or are reluctant to go can gather and talk.

Its activities can be broadly divided into three categories.

Activity 1: Discussion sessions

One of the main activities is holding discussion sessions twice a month. They are held at the Kurashiki Health and Welfare Plaza.

Creating a place where no one judges participants and everyone can be themselves is what Fuwasapo Kurashiki strives to do.

Children are the ones suffering when they cannot go to school, but parents and guardians also feel anxious and worried.

To make it possible for as many people in need as possible to attend, including those from outside Kurashiki City, the group sometimes holds off-site discussion sessions at different locations and times.

▼Off-site discussion sessions in fiscal 2022

Activity 2: Sharing and providing information

The discussion sessions offer a variety of information as well as a chance to talk.

Experts have joined the sessions to share ways of responding to children, while high school teachers and private-sector support providers have offered practical information about support services.

Pamphlets and booklets from other support organizations are available for participants to pick up at any time, and the group also lends books through its Fuwasapo Books program.

Activity 3: Planning events

Sometimes the group goes beyond its discussion sessions and plans events for parents and children to enjoy together.

▼Event activities in fiscal 2022

In addition to its own activities, Fuwasapo Kurashiki actively connects with other support organizations and expands its network.

The growing number of children said to be not attending school

Over the nine years from 2012, the number of elementary and junior high school students not attending school increased.

What does it mean not to attend school?

Nonattendance at school is defined as follows:

Among students who are absent for 30 or more days during the school year, those who, due to some psychological, emotional, physical, or social factor or background, do not attend school or are unable to attend even though they wish to (excluding absences due to “illness,” “financial reasons,” or “avoidance of infection with the novel coronavirus”)

From “Results of the Survey on Student Guidance Issues, Including Problematic Behavior and Nonattendance at School, among Students in Fiscal 2021”

In October 2022, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology released the “Results of the Survey on Student Guidance Issues, Including Problematic Behavior and Nonattendance at School, among Students in Fiscal 2021.”

According to the survey results, 244,940 elementary and junior high school students at public, national, and private schools across Japan were not attending school.

This was an increase of 48,813 from the 196,127 reported in the same survey for fiscal 2020, far exceeding the increase of 14,855 from fiscal 2020 to fiscal 2021.

Based on the fiscal 2021 survey results, the Kurashiki City Board of Education reported to the Kurashiki City Council that 700 students at Kurashiki City elementary and junior high schools were not attending school.

The corresponding figure in the fiscal 2020 survey was 581, showing an increase similar to the national trend.

Support organizations related to school nonattendance

Kurashiki City has produced a booklet called Mental Hotline to introduce support organizations.

The cover features a list of support organizations, making it easy to see at a glance what support each group offers, such as “parent groups” and “places for children to spend time or attend regularly.”

We spoke with Kitamura Yasuyo, who founded Fuwasapo Kurashiki, a peer support group for parents of children who do not attend school, one of the support organizations related to school nonattendance.

Fuwasapo Kurashiki, a peer support group for parents of children who do not attend school Information

Organization name	Fuwasapo Kurashiki, a peer support group for parents of children who do not attend school
Representative	Kitamura Yasuyo
Year established	2019
Address	180 Sasaoki, Kurashiki City
Website	Fuwasapo Kurashiki, a peer support group for parents of children who do not attend school

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