Copenhagen funds support groups for parents of children missing school

Parents in Copenhagen can now join free support groups for long school absences. The City of Copenhagen signed a four-year agreement to fund monthly meetings. Family therapists will lead the sessions for affected parents. This help targets families with children missing significant school time.

Danish schools flag attendance when a student misses 20 percent of classes. This rate applies over two consecutive school quarters. That equals roughly 10 missed days in one quarter. Local officials link these prolonged absences to poor child well-being.

Groups will consist of eight to nine parents. Meetings will take place about once a month. A representative from a new parents' association will also participate. Louise Gielov and Jens Langorn helped establish this parent association. They created it after appearing in a public documentary on DR.

The documentary highlighted daily struggles of children unable to attend school. The founders received over 1,000 messages after the broadcast. The association now has 2,545 members across the country. They also raised 7 million Danish kroner from foundations.

School absence rates have increased sharply in recent years. The proportion of affected pupils grew from 2.4 percent to 5.1 percent. The association aims to expand these support groups across Denmark. This news was reported by CPH Post.