Summarize key events or needs in one place to give teams a fuller picture and reduce repetition.
When families seek support, they are often asked to explain the situation—again and again. First to the teacher. Then the principal. Then district staff. Then external bodies like the Human Rights Tribunal, the Ministry of Education, or the Ombudsperson. Each time, they’re asked to restate what happened, describe the impact, and justify why it still matters.
This repetition isn’t just inefficient—it’s harmful. It forces parents to relive distressing events and absorb the emotional labour of educating each new person in the chain.
Summarizing your key observations into one clear, structured document gives you a foundation to work from. It helps professionals understand the full scope of your child’s needs without starting from zero. And it gives you a consistent reference point for appeals, complaints, or external reviews.
How to use this strategy
Think of this summary as your advocacy anchor. It’s not just a letter—it’s a living record of what you’ve seen, done, requested, and endured.
Include:
- A brief timeline of events (e.g. when support was requested, denied, or delayed)
- Observed impacts on your child (e.g. school refusal, regression, emotional distress)
- Documentation of what was offered, implemented, or never followed through
- References to assessments, plans, or meeting records
- Specific unmet needs that remain outstanding
You can organize it as:
- A narrative letter with bullet points
- A structured table (e.g. “Date / Concern / Request / Response / Outcome”)
- A short briefing note with attachments
The tone can be firm but factual. You are not required to be polite. You are required to be clear.
“Our child has experienced repeated barriers to accessing education despite formal requests dating back to [month/year]. We are providing this summary to outline the ongoing unmet needs and request timely enforcement of the supports required.”
If you’re submitting to the Ministry, Human Rights Tribunal, or Ombudsperson, be sure to follow any formatting or procedural guidelines for your submission. But the core content—your lived record—remains the same.
What to watch out for
Many external bodies operate as if families begin at the moment of contact. They don’t see the years that came before. They don’t know what your child lost. They don’t witness the weekends spent recovering from school.
Your summary is how you bring that history into the room.
But be careful not to over-edit yourself for their comfort. These are not minor concerns—they’re structural barriers. Use plain language. Avoid jargon. And name what the system did, or failed to do.
If the school’s own notes are sparse or self-serving, your documentation may be the most complete account
available. Own that authority.
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A note about survival, emotion, and strategy
By the time you reach this step, you may be barely holding it together.
You may have cried in the car every morning for months.
You may have fantasised about disappearing—because no one seems to hear you unless you’re breaking.
You may feel like someone who’s been in a long war.
You are not overreacting. You are not dramatic. You are not “that parent.”
You are injured—and still showing up to protect your child.
But the truth is this: if you bring that level of pain—unfiltered, undigested—into a written submission, some people will dismiss you. Not because your pain is illegitimate. But because the system has been conditioned to devalue emotion, especially when it comes from parents, especially when it comes from women, especially when it comes from those already labelled as difficult.
This doesn’t mean you must stay silent.
It means you may need to process some of the pain before you package the record.
That might mean dictating your story into a voice memo, crying through the first draft, and then asking someone you trust—or a therapist, or an advocate, or AI—to help shape it into the document that the system will respect.
You are allowed to be strategic about how you survive this part.
You are allowed to ask for help writing your story.
You are allowed to write like someone who wants to live—because you do.
You’re just exhausted from having to fight for your child to matter.
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The 123s of advocacy strategy
These strategies are practical steps you can take to help your child access support—whether you’re just starting out or navigating a complex situation.
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