Samenvatting

Truancy is connected with early dropout and juvenile delinquency. In order to find effective ways in dealing with truants, it is necessary to investigate the problems truants are experiencing at different levels (for example in the family and at school). This article shows the results of a research analyzing 225 school refusal cases from the location Rotterdam of the Dutch Child Protection Service. All truants suffer from risk factors on different levels and have relatively little protective factors. Children in the ‘civil group’ show significantly more problems than children in the ‘pure refusal group’ and children in the ‘crime group’. Because most truants suffer from a cumulation of problems they need focussed assistance rather than punishment.