Family Pathway

26/10/2026

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬

When post-16 education becomes a dead end rather than a pathway to the future.

At 16, a young person leaves school having completed their GCSEs, whatever their results might be.

They enter post-16 education with the hope of building a future.

Year 1: Level 1 qualification.

Year 2: Another Level 1 qualification.

Year 3: Level 2 qualification.

Year 4: Perhaps another Level 2. Or perhaps there is simply nowhere meaningful to go next.

Four years in education. Four years of turning up, completing courses and doing what is expected.

𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧?

At Family Pathway, we are seeing young people caught in these cycles. For some, the eventual outcome is not further education, meaningful employment or greater independence. It is isolation at home, with diminishing confidence and uncertainty about where they belong.

These are young people with aspirations, interests, abilities and potential.

Yet the opportunities available to them do not always translate their learning into meaningful participation in employment, community life or greater independence.

And we need to consider what this repeated experience does to their self-esteem, identity and sense of belonging.

𝐀 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.

We need post-16 pathways that offer genuine progression, purposeful experiences and supported transitions into adult life.

Because keeping a young person in education is not, in itself, evidence that we are preparing them for their future.

26/10/2026

A very welcome development for post-16 education and training in Wales.

For far too many vulnerable young people aged 16–25, particularly those who are neurodivergent or have additional learning needs, progression beyond compulsory education can feel like a cliff edge.

Through our work at Family Pathway, we see young people repeatedly accessing post-16 courses, moving from one Level 1 qualification to another, progressing to Level 2 and sometimes Level 3, only to return to lower-level courses. We have seen learners undertake Level 3 programmes without achieving the full qualification, subsequently returning to Level 2 despite having already completed years of education and training.

What concerns me is the lack of meaningful transfer of learning into employment, greater independence or wider community participation. Young people can spend years moving through qualifications without experiencing genuine progression.

While qualifications undoubtedly have value, we need to question whether this repeated cycle of courses, without clear pathways forward, is genuinely meeting young people's needs or inadvertently reinforcing cycles of disadvantage and exclusion.

**Participation in education is not the same as meaningful progression.**

Medr's consultation presents an important opportunity to reconsider how we understand and measure quality, particularly for young people who experience the greatest barriers.

We need to look beyond enrolment, retention and qualification outcomes to consider whether education and training are developing skills, creating opportunities and enabling young people to participate meaningfully in employment and society.

For me, the real measure of success is not simply whether a young person completes another course, but whether that experience enables them to move forward in their lives.

An important and welcome opportunity to strengthen equity, inclusion and accountability across post-16 provision in Wales.

22/10/2026

𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝𝐬: 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫 💙

I'm delighted to have contributed an article on behalf of Family Pathway CIC to the Autumn 2026 edition of Children in Wales magazine, Healthy Childhoods: Supporting Children to Thrive.

My article explores why we must look beyond behaviour to understand what children are communicating through their experiences, particularly those who are neurodivergent or face barriers to learning, belonging and participation.

Too often, we focus on managing behaviour rather than understanding the unmet needs, environments and experiences that may sit behind it.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞, 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐝, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠.

A huge thank you to 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬 for the opportunity to contribute to this important conversation alongside so many others committed to improving children's lives across Wales.

📖 You can read my article, Healthy Childhoods: Seeing the Child Beyond the Behaviour, on pages 50–51.

🔗 Read the Autumn 2026 magazine here: https://issuu.com/childreninwales/docs/autumn_magazine_2026_-_healthy_childhoods_support?fr=xKAE9_zMzMw

Reflecting Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which recognises every child’s right to the highest attainable standard of health and access to healthcare, this edition explores

21/10/2026

18/10/2026

𝐈𝐃𝐏, 𝐈𝐁𝐏 𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐒𝐏 – 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫?

These plans cannot be confused or treated as interchangeable. Each serves a different purpose, and the distinction matters for learners’ rights, access to education and the support they receive.

One of my greatest concerns is when the focus shifts towards managing behaviour, improving attendance or securing compliance, without sufficiently exploring why a learner is struggling in the first place.

Behaviour and attendance difficulties may be indicators of unmet needs, inaccessible learning environments or barriers to participation. Yet too often, the response focuses on what the learner is doing rather than what they are experiencing.
An Individual Development Plan (IDP) carries statutory responsibilities to identify additional learning needs and specify the additional learning provision required. An Individual Behaviour Plan (IBP) or Pastoral Support Plan (PSP) cannot replace or dilute that entitlement.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

We need to be careful that the systems designed to support learners do not inadvertently shift responsibility onto the very children and young people whose needs are not being adequately met.

𝐔𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐫.

18/10/2026

The childhood lottery is real in Wales.

Where a child is born and the circumstances they grow up in continue to shape their opportunities.

We must look beyond attendance, behaviours and labels to understand the barriers children face.

Every child deserves to feel safe, included and able to thrive — regardless of their postcode.

17/10/2026

A strong sense of self can change how a young person sees their future. 💛

At Family Pathway, our specialist one-to-one coaching helps young people understand their strengths and needs, build a positive identity and find confidence in their voice.

Together, we develop practical tools to manage overwhelm, communicate needs and navigate the environments they want to access—whether in learning, work or everyday life. We also help identify adaptations and support that make participation possible.

Visit our website to read young people’s and parents’ feedback about the difference this support has made to their lived experiences.

🌐 www.familypathway.co.uk
Get in touch to explore how we can support you.