Case Study: From Overwhelmed to Empowered – How Two Families Found Their Voice

The Challenge: When You Know Something’s Wrong But Don’t Know How to Fix It

Two families came to Supportive Stories at different times, but both shared the same overwhelming feeling that many parents know all too well: they knew their children needed better support at school, but felt completely lost about how to make that happen.

Family One: Breaking Through School Barriers

Emma* contacted us when her Year 3 son, who has autism and an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), was struggling at school. Despite having the legal framework in place to support him, she felt the school wasn’t providing appropriate help. Worse still, she felt completely unprepared for meetings with school staff.

Emma knew something wasn’t right, but didn’t have the confidence or the right words to challenge what was happening. She felt like the school saw her as a difficult parent, and was starting to doubt herself.

When we sat down together, Emma shared her frustration about seeing her son struggle whilst feeling like school meetings left her more confused than when she went in. She felt dismissed when trying to explain her concerns to school staff.

The Supportive Stories Approach: Looking Through Your Child’s Eyes

Our first step was to review her son’s annual review report together. What we discovered was telling – and unfortunately, not uncommon. The ‘challenges’ section, which should have outlined what her son was finding difficult, instead focused on how his behaviour affected others in the class and created problems for staff.

The school had written about how his outbursts disrupted other children’s learning and how he required constant supervision that took teacher time away from other pupils. Reading it back, Emma could see why they saw him as a problem rather than a child who needed help.

Together, we worked through each section, reframing the challenges from her son’s perspective. Instead of “disrupts other children,” we explored what might be causing him to become dysregulated in the first place. Was the classroom too noisy? Were transitions happening too quickly? Was he struggling to understand instructions?

We developed a comprehensive list of questions for Emma to ask at the next school meeting, focusing on understanding her son’s needs rather than managing his behaviour. We also helped her prepare specific examples and language that would help school staff see her child as someone requiring support, not management.

The Impact for Emma

Emma’s next school meeting was completely different. She went in with clear questions and specific examples. When the teacher said something vague about her son having a difficult day, she knew to ask what specifically happened and what might have triggered that response.

The school’s response was noticeably different too. Instead of making her feel like a nuisance, they started actually listening to what she was saying. They were finally having conversations about how to help her son rather than how to manage his behaviour.

Family Two: Finding the Right Expert Support

Lisa* came to us through a word-of-mouth referral, feeling completely isolated in her concerns about her child’s development. She was experiencing what many SEND parents know – the emotional exhaustion that comes from navigating complex systems while trying to get the right support for their child.

Lisa had been struggling with delayed EHCP processes and felt unprepared for upcoming transitions. She was carrying significant worry about her son’s academic progress and felt overwhelmed by the complexity of the SEND system.

Lisa shared that she felt like she was going mad – she could see her son struggling, but didn’t know who to turn to or whether her concerns were even valid.

During our initial conversation, we spent time validating Lisa’s feelings and observations. However, Lisa’s situation required specific SEND expertise that went beyond our scope. This is where our specialist network became crucial.

The Expert Support

We connected Lisa with one of our SEND specialist associates, Catherine, a SENCO with 25 years’ experience working in schools and charities. Catherine was able to meet with both parents, providing objective expertise to help them understand their son’s needs.

Catherine’s approach was both practical and empowering, providing specific guidance on:

• Requesting detailed information from school about current support
• Preparing effectively for annual reviews
• Understanding assessment pathways for learning difficulties
• Planning for educational transitions

The Impact for Lisa

Following the meeting with Catherine, Lisa contacted us to say how helpful the notes had been in preparing for her son’s review meeting. She expressed gratitude for getting the support organised and for our ongoing assistance.

Lisa felt much better prepared for her next school meeting and no longer felt alone in navigating her son’s needs. Having expert guidance and ongoing support made the difference between feeling overwhelmed and feeling equipped to advocate for her child.

Why This Approach Works

These families’ experiences highlight the unique value of Supportive Stories’ approach:

• Emotional validation before practical advice: Both parents needed to feel heard and understood before they could take action
• Seeing through the child’s eyes: Reframing challenges from the child’s perspective transforms how parents advocate
• Access to specialist expertise: Having trusted experts available means families get the right support for their specific situation
• Ongoing partnership: Support doesn’t end after one conversation – it continues throughout the family’s journey
• Empowerment over dependency: The goal is always to equip parents with confidence and tools, not create ongoing reliance

The Bigger Picture

These stories represent many families’ experiences – feeling overwhelmed, doubting themselves, and struggling to navigate complex systems while trying to do the best for their children. What makes the difference is having someone who understands both the emotional journey and the practical steps needed to move forward.

“Every parent wants to advocate effectively for their child,” explains Lucy, Founder of Supportive Stories. “Sometimes they just need someone to help them find their voice and connect them with the right expertise. That’s where Supportive Stories comes in – we bridge the gap between feeling overwhelmed and feeling empowered.”

Names have been changed to protect privacy