PACT Parents And Carers Together

28/02/2026

Ministers themselves acknowledge that families have endured too much for too long

27/02/2026

Some children are not being difficult on purpose. Their behaviour is being driven by emotion.

When a child has experienced trauma, loss, disrupted attachment or ongoing stress, their nervous system can stay on high alert. Small things can feel overwhelming. What looks like defiance, aggression or shutdown is often anxiety, fear, shame or unmet emotional need.

Telling a distressed child to calm down rarely works. Consequences alone do not teach emotional regulation. Children borrow the calm of the adult. They need safety before they can learn.
This is why trauma-informed and attachment-based approaches matter. When adults respond with empathy, curiosity and clear boundaries, children are more likely to feel secure, regulate their emotions and improve behaviour over time.

Challenging behaviour is often communication. If we only react to what we see on the surface, we miss what is happening underneath.
Children need both connection and boundaries. Safety first. Change second.

Free PACE APPROACH FOR TRAUMA AND ATTACHMENT POSTER

Like the photo and comment "PACE" and we will send you a message with a link to a free PDF of this resource.

26/02/2026

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/lifestyle/lifestylegeneral/a-waste-of-my-teenage-years-the-young-people-betrayed-by-our-exam-obsession

26/02/2026

Parents in England were consulted during the drafting of the White Paper. They shared lived experience. They documented harm. They explained the toll on their children and on themselves.

Now they are being asked to do it again.

Emotional labour is not neutral. Retelling trauma is not administrative. When consultation repeats but accountability does not follow, it creates moral injury.

Moral injury happens when your core values are violated and you are expected to keep engaging with the very system causing harm.

Many parent carers are also neurodivergent. Many experience an intense sensitivity to injustice. They cannot simply detach. They feel the ethical dissonance deeply. That makes the cycle heavier, not lighter.

If lived experience is expertise, it deserves more than acknowledgement. It deserves structural change.

26/02/2026

Fantastic opportunity to work for this amazing organisation 🍃

‼️We're hiring!‼️
We are looking for a new Wellbeing in Nature Facilitator to join our team.

If you love the outdoors, enjoy supporting people and fostering skills for independence then we'd love to hear from you!

👤Wellbeing in Nature Facilitator
📍Suffolk, with a focus in Bury St Edmunds
🕑Up to 37.5 hours
📆Deadline, 23 March 2026

This role involves directly with Participants, helping them
develop new skills, build confidence, and overcome personal barriers—by being rooted in nature.

See our website for more details and how to apply:
https://www.greenlighttrust.org/job/wellbeing-in-nature-facilitator-bury-st-eds/

25/02/2026

On paper, exit passes seem supportive for autistic young people...
A clear rule. A bit of autonomy. A way out when things feel too much.

But in real classrooms?
They rarely work the way adults hope they will.

Here’s why 👇

🔦The spotlight effect🔦
Most Autists hate to stand out generally, but using an exit pass puts all the focus on them at the exact moment they’re least able to cope with it.
Standing up. Walking out. Being watched 👀

“Everyone’s looking at me”
is far more distressing than staying in a space that’s already overwhelming.

👥Fear of judgement from classmates👥
Even when peers aren’t being unkind, the perceived judgement is real.

“Why are they leaving again?”

“They’re getting special treatment.”

“They’re weird.”

That internal narrative can be enough to stop a young person using the pass at all.
Avoiding attention becomes the priority, rather than self-regulation.

😕💬You still have to ask (and explain)😕💬
Most exit passes still require verbal initiation or explanation.
When a young person is anxious, or overloaded, speaking up can feel impossible.

So instead of leaving early…
they sit, freeze, shut down 🫥

Not all teachers are aware.
This is a huge one.

Supply staff. Cover lessons. New teachers.
Not everyone knows the agreement, and the young person knows this. Secondary schools can be particularly challenging.

That uncertainty leads to:

fear of being challenged😣

fear of being told no🫷

fear of having to justify themselves in front of others😢

So they don’t use the pass… just in case.

🧑‍💼The risk of being questioned or challenged👨‍🏭

“How many times have you used it today?”
“Can you wait five minutes?”
“Is it really necessary right now?”

Even one experience of being challenged can be enough to make a young person stop using it altogether.

When support feels conditional, it stops feeling safe.

❌It doesn’t address the cause ❌
Noise.
Lighting.
Crowded seating.
Social pressure.
Unpredictability.

An exit pass doesn’t reduce any of these.
It just offers an escape after the nervous system is already overloaded 😢

💡What works better than exit passes alone?💡

Pre-agreed movement breaks that don’t require asking

Adults proactively noticing early signs and prompting DISCREETLY

Quieter working spaces, on the edge of the room, near to the door

Consistent staff awareness (not just one teacher)

If a strategy only works when a young person is calm, confident, articulate and willing to be noticed… it’s not really accessible.

Regulation support should reduce pressure, not add another layer of fear, judgement, or uncertainty 🙏

Patsy x💜💙

P.S. Before anyone says, "They need to learn to speak up and advocate for themselves" in an ideal world yes, but we don't live in your ideal world!

23/02/2026

NEW POST (No 3!) Before it drops, we got a look at some funding plans in the Schools White Paper: We're grateful to Matt Keer for giving it a once-over to see what it says so far about funding for SEND https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/schools-white-paper-funding-send/

23/02/2026

NEW POST: Children died. The system looked away... On the day the Government seeks to slash the support rights of most neurodivergent children, accountability group Measure what Matters publishes evidence of the lethal cost of unmet need Part 1 https://www.specialneedsjungle.com/children-died-system-looked-away-government-human-cost-of-cutting-rights-reform/

22/02/2026

💜 look forward to some PACT dropins very soon!

🎉 We’re open! Hour Place is ready to welcome you. 🎉

We’re so happy to share that Hour Place — Framlingham’s new community wellbeing hub — is now open.

To celebrate this milestone, we’re holding an Open Day and everyone is warmly invited:

🗓️ Sunday 1st March
🕙 10:00am – 2:00pm
☕ Drop in anytime for a cuppa and a natter, have a look around, explore the facilities, and soak up the community spirit.
📍Fairfield Road, Framlingham, IP13 9LE

Please share to help us spread the word — and thank you to everyone who’s supported this project. We can’t wait to welcome you into our new home. 💛

22/02/2026

"I want to protect my children."