There is a common narrative which reflects far too many parents’ experiences that, in order to get the support their child needs, parents need to be prepared to fight. However, this not only increases stress levels but also decreases the likelihood of achieving the best outcomes for their child.
While it may seem impossible to work collaboratively in some situations, in many cases, parents can advocate calmly and confidently while working effectively with the team supporting their child. Jodie Warren, SEND coach & consultant for parents, joins Dale today in this episode to tell us how – ‘Effective Advocacy & Why Fighting Doesn’t Work’.
To achieve this, it is crucial to reframe the narrative around advocacy, recognise the limitations of fighting, and instead, focus on the 4 pillars of effective advocacy.
Listen to learn how to advocate effectively without burning out:
- Understand why advocacy can be exhausting
- Distinguish between advocacy and fighting
- Recognise the negative impact of fighting on vital skills, relationships with your child’s team, and parental well-being
- Strengthen the four pillars of effective advocacy – treating advocacy as a process rather than a single event
About Jodie Warren
With 20 years of experience as a specialist teacher working for schools & local authorities, Jodie now supports parents of children with additional needs to understand those needs & advocate for their child calmly, confidently & effectively without burning out.
As well as offering training to schools in how to enable effective advocacy she also supports parents to strengthen the three core pillars of advocacy so they can work with professionals collaboratively & assertively to achieve the best outcomes for their child.
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