Rethinking School Engagement

Rethinking School Engagement: What's not working when you address school refusal - and what does.

School refusal (or our preferred term, school can't) can feel overwhelming, frustrating, and impossibly complex.

But what if the issue isn’t more effort – what if it just requires a different approach?

This workshop is designed to help you move beyond reactive strategies into clear, effective, and affirming action when supporting young people who are disengaged from, or unable to attend, mainstream school.

What This Workshop Is

Rethinking School Engagement is a full-day, immersive, in-person professional learning workshop created for educators who want practical, proven ways to support young people who are struggling to attend school.

The Social Confidence Collective and Can’t Face School join forces to share their proven and practical solutions for addressing school refusal. Based on their extensive experience in youth mental health and schooling, the day blends big-picture thinking with hands-on, immediately applicable strategies to help you increase your efficiency and effectiveness when navigating school refusal.

Who It’s For

This workshop is ideal for:

• Teachers

• Wellbeing & Student Support Leaders

• School Leaders & Team Managers

• Learning Support Officers

If school refusal is impacting your workload, your wellbeing, or your school community – this day is for you.

What You’ll Learn

Throughout the day, we’ll explore:

• School refusal: is it a problem, or a symptom? 

• The most common misconceptions behind school refusal

• A clear framework for unpacking and addressing what’s really going on

• What we know actually works to reconnect students with education

• How addressing school refusal properly can reduce stress and workload – for you and your staff

The focus for the day is simple: helping you work smarter, not harder, when navigating school refusal.

The Outcomes You’ll Walk Away With

By the end of the day, you’ll leave with:

• A clear understanding of ‘school can’t’ and why early prioritisation matters

• In-depth knowledge of the Can’t Face School and Social Confidence Collective models of practice – and how they work together

• Practical re-engagement tools and resources you can use immediately

• Increased confidence supporting young people to focus on what matters most to them

• A clear pathway of possibilities to move your school from stuck to in flow when addressing school refusal

• Understanding of how this work fits within the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)

• Practical strategies for working with families who are struggling with school attendance

Your Facilitators

On the day, you will be joined by Richard Crawshaw (Founder and School Re-engagement specialist) ), Paige Davey (School Re-engagement specialist) and Lisa Audino (School Re-engagement specialist) from the Can't Face School team, along with Jo Rouse (Co-Founder & Senior Occupational Therapist), Sonya Vargas Stagg (Co-Founder & Senior Occupational Therapist) and Rachel D’Souza (Co-Founder & Senior Occupational Therapist) from The Social Confidence Collective.

Can’t Face School is led by experienced former education managers, school principals, and current teachers who have worked across primary, secondary, mainstream, and specialist settings. The team brings deep, practical knowledge of what actually works when supporting students back into education successfully – and how to partner meaningfully with families throughout that journey.

The Social Confidence Collective is a team of senior occupational therapists with over 50 years of combined experience in youth mental health, passionate about supporting young people to feel better, both within themselves and with others. They are deeply attuned to the intersection of emotional wellbeing, school systems, family dynamics, and identity – and how these factors shape engagement in learning.

Together, both teams share a strong belief: collaboration, not criticism, creates real change and successful outcomes for students, their families, and their schools. This workshop brings that philosophy to life.

The Details

🗓️ Date: Tuesday 5 May, 2026

🕘 Time: 8:45am – 3:00pm

📍 Venue: Balam Balam Place – 15 Phoenix St, Brunswick VIC 3056

Accessibility:

Please let us know if you have any accessibility or inclusion needs – we’re committed to supporting your participation.

Getting There:

• On-street parking is available nearby

• Brunswick Train Station: 5-minute walk

• Albert Rd & Sydney Rd Tram Stops: 3-minute walk

Pricing + What’s Included

🎟️ Early Bird (until 31 January 2026): $320 per person

🎟️ Individual Ticket: $390 per person

🎟️ Group of 4+ Participants: $350 per person

Your ticket includes:

• Full-day, immersive professional learning workshop

• Practical tools, resources, and frameworks

• Morning tea & lunch

Why Attend?

Because school refusal isn’t going away – and going in circles helps no one.

This workshop gives you clarity, confidence, and workable solutions to support young people, families, and staff – with care, efficiency, and impact.

We’d love to welcome you for a day of learning, collaboration, and meaningful change.