Submitted on Thursday 21st May 2026
Rejected on Thursday 18th June 2026
Current status: Rejected
Rejection code: irrelevant (see below for details)
Relevant Departments
Officially recognise Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) as a diagnosis.
We want the UK Government to officially recognise Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA) as a distinct medical and mental health diagnosis.
Because EBSA is not classified as an official medical diagnosis, families face a postcode lottery for support. Parents are frequently threatened with fines, prosecution, or child protection investigations instead of receiving empathy. Formally diagnosing EBSA will ensure schools must provide legal attendance adjustments, protect families from punitive fines, and unlock vital NHS mental health funding for early intervention.
You can't sign this petition because it was rejected. But you can still comment on it here at Repetition.me!
The Government e-Petitions Team gave the following reason:
We can only accept petitions seeking action on matters which are the responsibility of the UK Government or Parliament. It is not the UK Government or Parliament’s responsibility to recognise medical conditions. We are therefore not able to accept this petition.
You could start a new petition requiring schools to take account of children experiencing EBSA.
You may also be interested in signing this open petition:
'Create national "Low Demand School Hubs" for students with EBSA, ODD, and PDA'
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/767347
216.73.217.50 Sat, 20 Jun 2026 21:53:51 +0100
