Welcome to the archived content for the Inaugural INSA Conference.
The 2019 Conference was held in Oslo, Norway, from 16–18 October 2019. It was the first INSA Conference and focused on school absenteeism as a universal problem requiring local, national and international solutions.
The inaugural conference welcomed delegates to Oslo for a new international gathering focused on school attendance and absenteeism.
The conference emphasised collaboration, communication and the shared mission of improving school attendance for all young people. Delegates were encouraged to engage with presenters, participate in Round Table Discussions, connect during lunches and dinners, use the Doodle Wall, follow the conference hashtag, and join early morning walks.
The 2019 Conference Committee included:
Dr David Heyne
Chairperson, INSA Conference Committee
Developmental and Educational Psychology, Leiden University, The Netherlands
Dr Glenn Melvin
Chairperson, Scientific Program Committee
School of Psychology, Deakin University, Australia
Dr Malin Gren Landell
Co-Chairperson, Social Committee / Scandinavian Logistics Committee
Department of Education, Norrköping City Council, Sweden
Dr Carolyn Gentle-Genitty
Co-Chairperson, Social Committee
Indiana University School of Social Work, Indiana University, USA
Trude Havik
Chairperson, Scandinavian Logistics Committee
Centre for Behavioural Research, University of Stavanger, Norway
The 2019 Conference offered a three-day program exploring personal, clinical, practical, theoretical, scientific and policy-related perspectives on attendance and absenteeism.
Full descriptions and abstracts were made available through the conference website, and presentation PDFs were made available after the conference where contributors agreed to share them.
The program included:
| Time | Session Type | Details | Member Archive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 - 10:00 | Opening | Official welcome to the inaugural Conference of the International Network for School Attendance | View Day 1 Materials |
| 10:00–11:00 | Keynote Address | Associate Professor Carolyn Gentle-Genitty — School climate, positive school discipline, and school attendance | View Day 1 Materials |
| 11:00–11:30 | Networking | Morning Tea | Not applicable |
| 11:30–13:00 | Symposium 1 | Hearing the Voices of Youth and Parents | View Day 1 Materials |
| 13:00–14:00 | Networking | Lunch | Not applicable |
| 14:00–15:30 | Symposia 2–3 | Symposium 2: Using School Attendance Data so Everyone Benefits; Symposium 3: How Schools Can be Supportive When Attendance Problems Already Exist | View Day 1 Materials |
| 15:30–16:00 | Networking | Afternoon Tea | Not applicable |
| 15:30–16:00 | Networking | Afternoon Tea | Not applicable |
| 16:00–17:30 | Symposia 4–5 | Symposium 4: Prevention and Early Intervention for Absenteeism; Symposium 5: How Helping | View Day 1 Materials |
| 17:45 | Social Program | Ski-jumping simulator activity for registered participants | View Program |
| Time | Session Type | Details | Member Archive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | Social / Networking | Morning walk | Not applicable |
| 9:30–10:00 | Welcome | Welcome to Day 2: Did You Miss This on Day 1? + Q&A + Looking Ahead to Day 2 | View Day 2 Materials |
| 10:00–11:00 | Keynote Address | Professor Christopher Kearney — A bird’s-eye view of school attendance and absenteeism: Moving from fragmentation to reconstruction | View Day 2 Materials |
| 11:00–11:30 | Networking | Morning Tea | Not applicable |
| 11:30–13:00 | Symposia 6–7 | Symposium 6: The Marriage Between Education & Mental Health Care; Symposium 7: Second-Wave and Third-Wave CBT | View Day 2 Materials |
| 13:00–14:00 | Networking | Lunch | Not applicable |
| 14:00–15:30 | Round Table Discussions | In-depth dialogue with other conference participants. Round 1 at 14:00 and Round 2 at 14:50. | View Day 2 Materials |
| 15:30–16:00 | Networking | Afternoon Tea | Not applicable |
| 16:00–17:30 | Symposia 8–9 | Symposium 8: Educational Projects and Psychiatric Projects in Germany, and an Effectiveness Project in the Netherlands; Symposium 9: Government Policy Aimed at Attendance | View Day 2 Materials |
| 17:30–19:30 | Informal Time | Doodle Wall and conference hashtag used to arrange interest-group, national-group or informal meetings | Not applicable |
| 19:30–20:00 | Social Program | Pre-Dinner Entertainment for registered dinner guests | View Program |
| 20:00–22:00 | Social Program | Conference Dinner | View Program |
| Time | Session Type | Details | Member Archive |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:30 | Social / Networking | Morning walk | Not applicable |
| 9:30–10:00 | Welcome | Welcome to Day 3: Did You Miss This on Day 2? + Q&A + Looking Ahead to Day 3 | View Day 3 Materials |
| 10:00–11:00 | Keynote Address | Professor Michael Gottfried — Addressing absenteeism: Myths, methods, and morals | View Day 3 Materials |
| 11:00–11:30 | Networking | Morning Tea | Not applicable |
| 11:30–13:00 | Symposium 10 | School Attendance in Youth With a Disability – Challenges and Opportunities | View Day 3 Materials |
| 13:00–14:00 | Networking | Lunch | Not applicable |
| 14:00–15:30 | Symposia 12–13 | Symposium 12: Instruments to Screen and Assess School Attendance Problems; Symposium 13: Research That Can Guide our Grassroots Work | View Day 3 Materials |
| 15:30–16:00 | Networking | Afternoon Tea | Not applicable |
| 16:00–16:30 | Closing | Panel Points and Closing Ceremony | View Day 3 Materials |
| After conference | Informal Networking | Delegates were invited to use the Doodle Wall to make plans for post-conference drinks or activities in downtown Oslo | Not applicable |
The full program includes the titles of presentations and symposia across the three days. Full descriptions and abstracts were made available through the conference website.
You can refer to the complete program for the schedule, session titles, chairs and presenter details.
The 2019 Conference included social, informal and networking opportunities throughout the event.
INSA gratefully acknowledges everyone who contributed to the inaugural conference, including keynote speakers, symposium presenters, Round Table Discussion facilitators, youth and parent representatives, founding INSA members, symposia chairpersons, students, local organisers and venue staff.
Official sponsors included:
Supporters included Leiden University, Norrköping, Indiana University Bicentennial, Deakin University and the Centre for Learning Environment at the University of Stavanger.
As an INSA Member, you can access selected archived conference materials throughout this page. Where available, recordings and session materials have been linked beside the relevant keynote, symposium, round table discussion or activity.
Available resources may include:
Photography and filming occurred throughout the conference, and selected excerpts were made available to INSA Members via the website. Some Round Table Discussions were also voice-recorded to support INSA’s future work.
Download the complete 2019 INSA Conference Program for the full schedule, session details, committee information, supporter acknowledgements, social program and member information.
Tuesday 15 October