Seventeen parents met in Odense on Thursday for the first session of a new network for families with children who stay away from school. The pilot project is run by the national organization Skole og Forældre.
The meeting took place this week in Odense, DR reports. The network is intended to give parents of children with high school absence a place to meet and talk about their situation. Parent advisers attend each meeting to explain issues connected to school absence.
One of the participants was Katja Birch Nielsen, according to DR. Her daughter has been signed off sick from school for the past three years. The girl should now be starting 9th grade, but has been absent since the middle of 5th grade.
Nielsen told DR that the families involved have very different stories, but share the fact that their children do not attend school. As reported by DR, she said meeting others in the same position can make a large difference, because it reduces the feeling of being alone.
The organization behind the meetings announced the initiative on August 14, 2026. Per Skole og Forældre, it is the first pilot project of its kind from the organization’s parent counseling service. The same announcement states that the meetings are free, held in small groups in person, and last about one and a half to two hours.
Skole og Forældre scheduled the first meeting for August 20, 2026, at Marienslystcentret in Odense C. The organization has not said how many further meetings are planned.
Isolation among parents
Lotte Wibe, daily manager of the advisers at Skole og Forældre, told DR that the organization speaks with a couple of thousand parents each year. According to Wibe, having a child who is not thriving and perhaps not attending school can be very lonely. She said many parents have described that experience to the organization.
Wibe also told DR that physical meetings are needed, and that conversations through a screen are not enough for everyone. She said she hopes the network will lead to coffee meetings between parents and play dates between the children over time. Nielsen described a similar hope to DR.
Municipal support for families in the city already exists in another form. The website of Odense Municipality states that its Fraværsteam works with schools, parents and children when absence becomes a problem. According to the municipality, the team helps coordinate individually tailored support.
The available sources do not indicate whether the pilot network will be extended to other cities. Reporting from DR and the announcement from Skole og Forældre point only to the launch in Odense as the reason for the timing.
