In promoting the 'Don't call me Mum' initiative and asking practitioners to #CallMe, I often hear the excuse that a hospital professional is simply too busy. It is easy in the bustle of the hospital ward to mistakenly regard the details as unimportant. Like the panoramic view of any hospital stay might include the admission [...]
Co-production Week In 2020, the world was turned upside down. Things once considered important no longer took priority. People's values were honed, the world shrank, and everyone had to get used to living in a new way. The world got a glimpse of the transformation that occurs in the life of a family who loves [...]
Ever feel like you are losing control? One of the first things to disappear when becoming the parent of a child with complex needs, is a sense of control. Some people live deluded that they are the masters of their own destiny, but for parents of someone with disabilities, the weeks ahead are shaped by [...]
I’m not sure where to start because there are so many of you who have the opportunity to deliver personalised care. Maybe you’re one of the many therapists (Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist, Speech And Language Therapist to name but a few) who collude and agree when it’s best to meet and then ask that I adhere [...]
Personalised care is to be business as usual from 2024 but is the centralised drive for change really capturing the cultural shift required? When there is still debate amongst practitioners about the challenges of using a parent’s name, how can the wider-reaching scope of personalised care be expected to be embedded? [...]
As we discussed in Season 2, Episode 3 of ‘The Skies We’re Under Podcast’, I’m baffled that the chronological transition from age 17 to 18 means my son (who is entirely reliant on others for his safety, well-being, physical health and joy in his life), will no longer have the legal protection of a person [...]
November. It’s that time of year again when Pudsey is dusting off his eye patch and schools around the country are asking children to come in wearing spots (because we all have spotty clothes in our cupboards) to raise money for Children in Need. What could possibly be wrong with [...]
I recently had a conversation with a head of SEN services in a local authority working incredibly hard to stretch scarce school placements for children with SEN. In the middle of our conversation, he explained how it simply isn’t fair for him to allocate resources based on who shouts the loudest. Rather, he has a [...]
Before having children, holidays often consisted of lazy pub lunches, afternoon naps, late nights and spontaneous decisions. After children – well, I guess we all acknowledge, it is a ‘bit different’. When you have a child with additional needs though, just going outside the front door for a couple of hours can take an operation of [...]
Sleeping under the stars It’s tough at the best of times to get enough sleep so add in the layer of holiday expectations and it can feel so much more of a loss. First, adjust your expectations (as always). Then do what you can to maximise the sleep you can get. Here are some of the [...]
