This study focused on school non-attendance, from the perspective of young people (YP) whose families were supported by a Local authority (LA) family intervention team (FIT). Detailed case studies allowed YP to reflect on their lived experience of non-attendance and share this with the researcher. To achieve this, the School Refusal Assessment Scale (SRAS) was used with a semi-structured interview schedule - specially devised to allow YP and the researcher to gain a deeper understanding of their non-attendance. Further data collection with key workers (KW), using semi-structured interviews, sought to gain an insight into the context in which school non-attendance was occurring and how future research may be made more accessible to this population. It was evident that YP value school and recognise the importance of it in achieving future aspirations. Social relationships were highly important, but influenced each YP in a different way. KW noted the importance of trust in both encouraging YP to engage in research and in maintaining relationships to work with and support YP. It was concluded that giving YP the opportunity to explore their perceptions and understanding of non-attendance was necessary in both understanding and supporting improvement in attendance.