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Held SEN Support Space, Locks Heath, Fareham (2026)

09/04/2026

I’ve had a few parents ask me recently about their baby having a flat head…
And I can hear the worry behind the question every time.

“Have I done something wrong?”
“Will it stay like that?”
“Should I be doing more?”

So let me gently say this first…

💛 This is really common
💛 It is not your fault
💛 And there are simple things that really do help

⸻

Babies spend a lot of time on their backs (as they should for safe sleep),
so sometimes a little flattening can happen.

What helps most isn’t anything complicated…

🌿 Little and often tummy time
🌿 More cuddles upright (these count more than you think)
🌿 Encouraging baby to look both ways
🌿 Reducing long stretches on flat surfaces when possible

⸻

And most importantly…

✨ As babies grow, move, sit and explore…
their head shape usually rounds out naturally

⸻

If something doesn’t feel right —
for example, baby always turns one way, or it’s not improving —
it’s absolutely okay to speak to your health visitor.

You’re not overreacting.
You’re advocating 💛

⸻

You are doing enough.
You are noticing.
You are responding.
That is what matters.

⸻

If this is something you’re navigating right now,
you’re not alone 🤍

Cathy – HELD

06/04/2026

But know this…

I love my children exactly as they are.
I wouldn’t change them for anything.

The world just needs to meet them there.

If you’re one of those parents this week —
You are not alone.
You are held.” 🤍**

06/04/2026

Across the country this week,
thousands of parents are holding their breath…

Waiting. Hoping. Praying
that their child gets the school place they need.

Because this isn’t just about a school…
It’s about safety.
Understanding.
A place where their child can belong.

If you’re one of those parents this week —
I see you.

You are not alone.
You are held.” 🤍**

06/04/2026

🌿 HELD – SEN Support Space

“She was the only one not invited…”

My daughter was 4.
Undiagnosed, but already walking her own unique path.

A party was happening…
Not just nearby —
but in the garden next door.

Every child in her class was invited.

Except her.

⸻

I remember the feeling so clearly 💔
That deep, aching heartbreak — not for me,
but for her.

Because it’s never just about the party…
It’s about belonging.
It’s about being included.
It’s about feeling like you matter.

⸻

And the hardest part?

She didn’t even realise. 🤍

She was completely oblivious.
While I stood there, holding all of that hurt for her.

⸻

So I did the only thing I could in that moment…
I took her out.

Not to run away —
but to protect her.
To hold her in something gentler.

⸻

🌱 What I’ve learned since

Sometimes, as SEN parents,
we carry a quiet grief…

For the things our children don’t even know they’re missing.

And that grief is real.
It matters.
You matter.

⸻

🤍 A gentle truth

Your child’s worth is not measured
by who invites them to a party.

But the world still has learning to do
about what true inclusion really looks like.

⸻

If you’ve ever stood in that same place…
heart aching for your child…

Please know this:

You are not alone.
You are seen.
You are held. 🤍

06/04/2026

🌿 HELD – SEN Support Space

“He just won’t stop bouncing…
I’m always taking him to soft play to run it off…”

A mum said this to me recently about her 4-year-old.
She was worried it was “too much.”

But here’s the gentle truth 🤍

For some children — especially those with traits of ADHD —
this isn’t too much…

✨ It’s regulation
✨ It’s release
✨ It’s their body finding calm

⸻

💛 What it might look like to us:

“Constant movement”
“Endless energy”
“Can’t sit still”

💛 What it often is for them:

“My body feels busy”
“I need to move to feel okay”
“This helps me settle”

⸻

🌱 Trampolines, soft play… it all has a purpose

That bouncing, climbing, jumping, crashing movement…
• feeds their sensory system
• helps organise their body
• gives them the input they’re craving

And often, after a good bounce or a run around soft play?

You’ll see:
✨ a calmer child
✨ fewer big emotions
✨ a little more ability to focus

⸻

🤍 A gentle reframe

Instead of trying to stop the movement…
we can start to see it as support.

Not a problem to fix —
but a need being met.

⸻

🤍 A reminder for you

You’re not doing anything wrong.
Your child isn’t “too much.”

They’re listening to their body…
and you’re listening to them.

And that matters more than anything.

⸻

You are safe here. You are held. 🤍

27/03/2026

✨ On the other hand…

While some SEN parents are bracing for the loss of routine during the school holidays…

Others are quietly exhaling.

Because for parents of children with EBSA (Emotionally Based School Avoidance)…

School itself has been the hardest part.

The anxiety.
The dread.
The battles at the door.
The tears — sometimes yours, sometimes theirs… sometimes both.

The exhaustion of holding it all together every single morning.

So when the holidays arrive…

It’s not disruption.

✨ It’s relief.

A pause from the pressure.
A break from the expectation.
A chance for their child to just… be.

No uniform.
No forced transitions.
No overwhelming environments.

Just safety.

Just breathing space.

And maybe — just maybe — a glimpse of their child without that constant weight of anxiety.

Both of these experiences are real.

Both are valid.

And both deserve to be understood.

Because behind every child is a different story…
and behind every parent is a different kind of strength.

If this is you…

🤍 You are not alone
🤍 Your child is not “just being difficult”
🤍 And this relief you feel? It matters too

✨ Sometimes the bravest thing a parent does… is recognise what their child truly needs.

27/03/2026

When the school holidays aren’t a break…

For many families, the school holidays are something to look forward to.
Rest. Slower mornings. Time together.

But for many SEN parents…

It can feel like the ground is about to shift.

Because routine isn’t just a preference —
it’s a lifeline.

And when that routine suddenly disappears…

Everything can unravel.

The sleep patterns.
The emotional regulation.
The sense of safety.

And for some children —
that can mean anxiety, meltdowns, overwhelm… or complete shutdown.

So while others are counting down to a “break”…

Many SEN parents are quietly bracing themselves.

Planning.
Preparing.
Trying to soften what they know might come.

And holding the weight of knowing…

💔 This might not be easy for their child.

Or for them.

If this is you…

🤍 You’re not failing because it feels hard
🤍 You’re not “doing it wrong” if things don’t look like everyone else’s holidays
🤍 And you are absolutely not alone in this

Sometimes the goal isn’t a perfect holiday.

✨ It’s simply getting through it, together.

Small steps still matter.
Safe moments still matter.
You still matter.

27/03/2026

From a Manager’s Heart…

You may have seen that early years settings are now facing more frequent Ofsted inspections.

And I’m going to say something that many of us are quietly thinking…

Why does it feel like early years are being targeted, while schools are being given more flexibility?

Because from where I stand — it doesn’t feel balanced.

And I’m not speaking from theory…
I’m speaking from experience.

I have felt the stress.
I have carried the anxiety.
And I have walked away from an Ofsted inspection feeling like I had let everyone down — my team, my children, my families.

Even when I knew how hard we had all worked.

That feeling stays with you.

So when I hear inspections will become more frequent in early years…
I don’t just think about standards.

I think about the emotional toll on a workforce that is already stretched.

Because early years is not “just play.”
It is the foundation of everything that follows.

We are supporting children with increasingly complex needs.
We are navigating funding challenges.
We are holding families together in ways that often go unseen.

And still — we show up, every single day, with care, patience, and love.

We absolutely believe in high standards.
Our children deserve that.

But where is the balance?

Where is the understanding that early years settings are already under immense pressure?

If anything, we need support — not more scrutiny.

Because behind every inspection is a team who care deeply…
and sometimes carry the weight of it long after the inspector has left.

If you work in early years and this resonates…

🤍 You are not alone.

And to those outside the sector — please know, this work matters more than most will ever truly see.

✨ Early years is not the easy part of education…
It is the most important.

26/03/2026

HELD – SEN Support Space 🌙
The sleepover dilemma… when your child says “I want to stay over”

⸻

There’s a moment that catches so many of us off guard…

Your child comes home and says,
“Mum… I want a sleepover.”

And your heart does that little flip.

Because for some families, it’s simple.
But for others… it’s huge.

⸻

For our children — especially those with additional needs — a sleepover isn’t just “fun with friends.”

It can mean:
✨ A different bed
✨ Different smells, sounds, routines
✨ No safe person nearby
✨ Unfamiliar expectations
✨ Big feelings with no easy escape

And for us as parents?

It’s the worry that sits quietly underneath:
Will they cope?
Will they be understood?
What if they panic and I’m not there?

⸻

💛 Here’s your reminder…

You don’t have to rush this.

A sleepover is not a milestone your child must reach by a certain age.
It’s something they grow into — safely, gently, in their own time.

⸻

🌱 Small steps still matter

Maybe it looks like:
✔ Staying for tea first
✔ A late evening pickup
✔ A “practice” sleepover at a grandparent’s
✔ Having a clear exit plan (“I’ll come get you anytime”)

That is progress. That is success.

⸻

🤍 And if tonight isn’t the night?

That’s okay too.

Saying “not yet” is not holding them back.
It’s holding them safely.

⸻

🌙 To the parents feeling the pull…

The push between wanting your child to experience everything…
and needing to protect their nervous system…

I see you.

You are not overthinking.
You are attuned.

⸻

✨ A gentle reframe

It’s not about
“Can they manage a sleepover?”

It’s about
“Do they feel safe enough to try?”

⸻

And when they do…
you’ll feel it.

Not because someone told you they “should”…
but because your child shows you they’re ready.

⸻

🤍 You are safe here. You are held.
No question is silly. No parent walks alone.

And here’s the bit most people don’t say…

Some children with sleep disorders:
👉 may not be ready for sleepovers for a long time
👉 may never enjoy them in the typical way

And that is not a failure.
That is neurodiversity being respected.

⸻

💛 Your permission slip

You are allowed to say:
• “Not yet”
• “Only with support”
• “We’ll do it differently”

Because your job isn’t to meet social milestones…

👉 It’s to protect your child’s nervous system.

⸻

🌙 A gentle reframe for you

It’s not:
“Can they cope with a sleepover?”

It’s:
“Can the environment cope with them?”

26/03/2026

HELD – SEN Support Space

Today I’m not writing as a practitioner.
I’m writing as a human.

After two years of fighting, advocating, gathering evidence, attending meetings…
we had F’s tribunal.

F is five.
Autistic.
Speech delay.
Mobility difficulties.
A child who needs 1:1 support to access even the smallest parts of his day.

We all knew mainstream couldn’t meet his needs.
Even the schools said it themselves.

Mum made the incredibly hard decision to keep him in preschool,
holding him in a place where he was safe, understood, and supported…
whilst we fought for the right setting.

Today… that fight didn’t go the way it should have.

The specialist provision said they didn’t feel they were the right placement.
Another mainstream school has now been named —
with the promise of funding.

But here’s the truth that doesn’t sit right in my heart:

Funding does not equal understanding.
Funding does not create specialist environments.
Funding does not replace lived experience, training, and the right provision.

And I’m left sitting with a feeling I don’t often allow myself to feel…

👉 I feel like I’ve failed her.

As practitioners, we carry so much.
We stand beside families.
We fight their corner.
We hold hope when they’re exhausted.

And when the system doesn’t listen…
it hurts.

Mum is now considering home education.
Not because it was her dream —
but because she feels she has no other safe choice.

Let that sink in.

A parent choosing to step away from the system
because the system couldn’t meet her child.

This is the part people don’t always see.

The emotional toll.
The weight we carry home.
The quiet tears after meetings.
The questioning of “Could I have done more?”

So if you’re a parent in this place right now…
or a practitioner feeling the same ache tonight…

Please hear this:

✨ You did not fail.
✨ You advocated.
✨ You stood up.
✨ You showed up — again and again.

And sometimes… the system fails the child.

Not you.

Not your love.
Not your fight.

We keep going.
Because children like F deserve better.

Always.

🤍

22/03/2026

🌿✨ You might need this today… ✨🌿

If you’re feeling
tired…
overwhelmed…
a little lost…
or just not quite yourself…

This is your sign to pause 💛

At Portsmouth Temple of Spiritualism, you’ll be met with
✨ kind hearts
✨ gentle energy
✨ and people who truly care

No pressure.
No expectations.
Just a quiet space to sit, breathe, and receive healing.

Sometimes the strongest thing you can do…
is allow yourself to be supported 🤍

🌿 Spiritual Healing available
(Contact & Distant)
🕊 Every Wednesday

You are always welcome here 💫

✨ “To serve with love is to leave a light that never fades.” ✨

Held SEN Support Space

09/04/2026

06/04/2026

06/04/2026

06/04/2026

06/04/2026

27/03/2026

27/03/2026

27/03/2026

26/03/2026

26/03/2026

22/03/2026

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