An analysis of UK local authority (LA) emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) guidance

School attendance difficulties including emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA) are an ongoing concern. Over recent years, local authorities (LAs) have provided guidance for school staff and other professionals in addressing EBSA. Educational psychologists (EPs) have written or contributed significantly to guidance. In order to establish what guidance UK LAs are providing for schools and to support future refinement of EBSA guidance through a newly created evaluation tool, this current review analysed forty-eight UK LA EBSA guidance documents obtained between June and August 2023. Common elements were consideration of context, underlying principles, evidence base, practical support and resources. Implications for practice, limitations, and potential future research are discussed.