Over the past few weeks, we've explored the reality of the SEN crisis together - from the overwhelm of navigating broken systems to the impact of inappropriate educational environments on our children's wellbeing. I understand how exhausting it can feel to face these battles day after day.

Yet within this crisis, I've also witnessed incredible strength, innovation, and community. Today, I want to focus on how we can move from feeling trapped by these systems to becoming agents of meaningful change - both for our own families and for others walking similar paths.

Starting Where We Are

Change begins with understanding, and if you've been following this blog series, you already have a deeper insight into:

• The systemic issues causing our current crisis

• Why traditional educational approaches often fail our children

• The importance of psychological safety in learning environments

• The impact of inappropriate provision on family wellbeing

This knowledge isn't just academic - it's powerful. When we understand the roots of the challenges we face, we can begin to address them more effectively.

Taking Action: Where to Begin

1. Trust Your Knowledge of Your Child

As parents and carers, we hold expertise that no professional assessment can fully capture. The daily lived experience of supporting your child gives you insights that are invaluable.

I remember sitting in meetings where professionals with limited understanding of PDA or developmental trauma made recommendations that I knew wouldn't work for my child. Finding the courage to speak up - respectfully but firmly - was challenging but necessary.

Start by documenting your observations. Note patterns, triggers, supports that help, and approaches that don't. This information becomes powerful evidence when advocating for appropriate support.

[click image to continue reading the full blog]

Let's talk about what's possible when we truly understand how children learn and develop. As a Clinical Psychologist specialising in developmental trauma, and as a parent, I know that real learning can only happen when children feel safe. Yet our current education system often creates the opposite effect.

When we talk about safety in schools, we're not just talking about physical safety. We mean emotional safety to express needs without fear, relational safety to trust adults, sensory safety to navigate environments, psychological safety to make mistakes and learn, and social safety to be authentically themselves.

For neurodivergent children and those who have experienced trauma, these layers of safety are the essential foundations for learning. Yet traditional school environments, with their emphasis on compliance and conformity, often undermine rather than build these crucial elements.

[Click above to read more]

The phone calls from school have become all too familiar. "You need to come and pick her up." "We can't tolerate this behaviour at school." "We're not sure we can meet her needs."

As both a Clinical Psychologist and parent, I hear these phrases from both sides - in my clinical practice and in my own life, with my own child. They reflect a system in crisis, where schools are struggling to provide the support our children desperately need.

When we talk about the specialist provision gap, we're talking about real children waiting months, sometimes years, for appropriate educational placement. These aren't just numbers on a waiting list - they're children losing precious learning time, families facing impossible choices, and potential being lost.

[Click above to read more]