Tina Cockram, SEND Family Support

06/08/2026

Are you over 16 and have a diagnosis of autism and your local authority is Manchester City Council. Then take a look at the AutismWise Project funded by Manchester City Council, lots of therapy sessions, connecting with other like minded individuals. It’s a great project with lots of opportunities

How does it work? AutismWISE stands for Wellbeing, Information, Support and Empowerment. We are a dedicated and inclusive signposting service for Autistic residents with a Manchester City postcode, designed to...

30/07/2026

This is very thought provoking…..what would you tell yourself? What advice would you give?

30/07/2026

25/07/2026

Isn’t parenting hard? Even harder as a parent to a neurodivergent child. This is when all traditional parenting gets thrown out of the window. We seek approval and advice from others. We know making the wrong choice could result in pushing them too hard and then as a result there is a huge set back that can take months to undo, but then we live with the turmoil of, but am I pushing enough? It’s hard to know, we are constantly seeking that light bulb moment but until then we just have to go with what our gut is saying and working with the child and encouraging growth and independence where possible….its no mean feat.

We spend an immense amount of energy looking for validation from all the wrong places. We look for proof that we are succeeding in the approval of our own parents, the advice of expert checklists, or the quiet, competitive score-keeping that happens with other families in our social circles.

But none of those audiences actually matter.

The outside world only sees the performance. They see the curated milestones, the polite public behavior, and the neat logistics of a family schedule. They aren't in the room when the lights are low, the day is exhausted, and a real emotional crisis is unfolding across the kitchen counter. They don't know the actual climate inside your walls.

Your child is the only one who holds the full ledger. It doesn't matter how it looked from the outside; it matters how it felt on the inside — and the only ones who felt it were those at the receiving end of it. They are the ones who will inherit the raw reality of how they were handled when they made a mistake, whether their voice possessed actual authority under your roof, and whether your presence felt like a secure harbor or a minefield they had to carefully navigate.

They don't care about your perfect intentions or the external validation you chased; they only care about how safe it felt to be a human being in your presence.

Let go of the need to perform for the crowd. Focus your energy strictly on the relationship sitting right in front of you — because when the dust settles, the only score that ever truly counts is the one written in the quiet memory of the person you raised. ❤️

Image Quote Credit: ❣️

19/07/2026

Please take note and please don’t be discouraged….!

If you're told the LA isn't "doing" EHCPs/EOTAS any more, show this: Until any changes are implemented, the current statutory framework remains in place. Local authorities will therefore continue to be able to arrange education otherwise than at a school or further education college under section 61 of the Children and Families Act 2014 where they are satisfied that it would be inappropriate for the special educational provision specified in an EHCP to be made in a school or college. https://consult.education.gov.uk/accountability-and-special-schools/send-reform-education-other-than-at-school/supporting_documents/send-reform-education-otherwise-than-at-schoolpdf-1

19/07/2026

Please sign the enclosed petition. The future of EHCPS is very uncertain and the threat to reduce provision within them and parent choices is very concerning.

16/07/2026

Are you in the Heywood area and looking for an Alternative Provision Provider?. I met with the manager of the Younique Talent at the Rochdale Home Education Event and their offer sounds amazing! This would be a perfect mid week break from the school environment. It can take some persuading for school or the LA to fund the AP. I have supported many families to achieve this, please let me know if you would like to discuss more and I can send you a link for my discovery call.

16/07/2026

I totally agree with this, take that time for transition, if you are planning a holiday, perhaps take some down days first and take time to transition to that routine break.

For a long time we’ve needed to carefully plan around the transition between term time to holidays, slowly easing us in to the different ways of being.

Even though we aren’t all in school adjusting to having siblings around more or favourite places being busier can be hard. 💛

15/07/2026

We are now approaching that last week of the school year, it’s the time of year when SEND support goes quiet, as families are about to press the pause button as they are exhausted from the advocating they have been doing all year. however that relief usually lasts around 4 weeks as the new pending year looms. That first term is the hardest and most familles are crawling their way through to half term in October.

I am planning a return to school coffee event in Middleton for the second week(location to be arranged). If you would be interested, please comment below but also if you feel your area would benefit from this please also register your interest and area and I can look into hosting in other areas too.