This spring and summer, CSIE delivered “Paving the way to better outcomes for our children” – a series of free workshops for parents of children with labels of SEND, held in eight locations across Bristol. Developed in consultation with parents and finalised with input from a mental health expert, the workshops explored strategies to support parental wellbeing while also strengthening parents’ confidence to advocate for their children’s rights in education. Thanks to funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, all 16 workshops (two in each location) were offered free of charge.

Feedback from parents was overwhelmingly positive. Participants described the sessions as “very valuable”, “empowering and thought-provoking”, “clear and practical” and “all very helpful and well presented in a calm and informative way”. One parent even found the experience so transformative that she encouraged her partner to attend the same workshop in another location.

Building on this success, we are now working with a researcher to draw out key messages from the stories parents shared, with plans to share these more widely. Watch this space for updates!