Reasons for non-attendance at a child guidance clinic.

A consecutive group of children (n = 19) referred to a child guidance clinic who failed to attend an initial interview were followed-up. These 'non-attenders' did not differ from a matched group of 'attenders' with respect to duration or nature of their problems, waiting period for the appointment, type of referring agencies or socio-demographic variables, but were more likely to be living with their natural parents. Disinclination among the parents was the main reason for absenteeism and could be related to ignorance about the clinic. The problems leading to referral persisted in most cases and had not received further treatment.