Background / Overview of Workshop: What happens when mainstream education is no longer accessible? For many young people living with chronic illness, disability, and mental health challenges, traditional schooling can become difficult or impossible to sustain. Yet educational success remains possible through a variety of alternative pathways that are often poorly understood by educators, health professionals, and families. Delivered by three young adults with lived experience, this workshop explores our individual journeys as early school leavers who have each returned to education through different pathways. Drawing on our experiences navigating chronic illness, disability, and mental health challenges alongside learning, we will share how we re-engaged with education, overcame barriers, and redefined what success looks like beyond conventional educational timelines and expectations. Participants will gain insight into the range of educational options available when mainstream schooling is not suitable, including flexible learning programs, distance education, vocational education and training, tertiary education pathways, and other alternative approaches. Through storytelling, facilitated discussion, and practical examples, presenters will highlight the importance of collaboration between health professionals, educators, families, and young people in supporting educational participation and wellbeing. The session will challenge deficit-based assumptions about educational achievement and encourage attendees to adopt strengths-based, person-centred approaches that recognise diverse pathways to learning and success. Target Audience: • Educators and school staff • Health professionals • Mental health professionals • Community and youth workers • Parents and carers • Education support staff Learning Objectives: By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Recognise how chronic illness, disability, and mental health challenges can impact educational participation and engagement. 2. Identify a range of educational pathways available to young people when mainstream schooling is not appropriate or accessible. 3. Understand the role of multidisciplinary collaboration between health, education, families, and young people in supporting educational outcomes. 4. Apply strengths-based approaches that support young people to define and pursue their own educational goals and measures of success. 5. Identify practical strategies for supporting learners to remain connected to education while managing complex health needs. Alignment with Conference Theme: This presentation reflects the theme Connected Learning, Empowering Lives: Bridging Health, Education and Wellbeing by demonstrating how collaborative support across health, education, and family systems can empower young people with complex health needs to remain engaged in learning and achieve meaningful educational outcomes. The workshop combines lived experience, practical application, and multidisciplinary perspectives to promote inclusive educational practice and improved well-being.