SEND systems want to see evidence of the “child’s voice” in planning and decision-making. For many parents, this causes stress for a variety of reasons, often as a result of past experience. An independent child’s report can often unblock the barriers to appropriate support.
At Tugboat, we aim to build a trusting relationship with parents and the family as a whole first. Once you have received the initial report and proposal from Tugboat, we will consider whether and how your child should be involved.
However young they are, we believe it is never too early to start helping your child understand their needs and condition and learn to self-advocate where possible so that they are prepared for adult life.
At Tugboat, we have the following principles:
- We believe that any person, regardless of age or ability, has the right to consent to what happens to them.
- Your child decides whether they want to be involved
- We follow a child led approach and will work in whatever way suits them (eg understanding them by playing video games, or doing make up)
We will cover the same areas as we did in the initial consultation, collecting your child’s views as we get to know them in an informal way.
Depending on your child, you may be more or less involved in this process, but the resulting report will truly represent your child’s voice (and may well include views that are the opposite of yours!).
Tugboat can also provide an extension of this service in which we will work with your child to create a unique representation of their views using creative communication methods. This might be a collection of pictures, art by your child, a video or audio production in which they can shine and convey all they are and can be.
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