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Able to Care

Able to Care

Von: Able Training Support Ltd
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 Join host Andy Baker (author, speaker and educator) for Able Training’s care-focused podcast Able to Care. For paid and unpaid caregivers, teachers and parents to better understand themselves and those they support. With twice-weekly episodes covering understanding people, promoting self-care and resilience, signposting support and services, strategies to reduce stress and distress, promoting good practice and ensuring positive outcomes for all. Includes special guest experts, caregivers and those with lived experience.© Copyright 2022 Able Training Support Limited. Hygiene & gesundes Leben
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  • The School-to-Prison Pipeline & Neurodiversity – What Schools Miss with Dr Neil Alexander-Passe

    The School-to-Prison Pipeline & Neurodiversity – What Schools Miss with Dr Neil Alexander-Passe
    Feb 24 2026
    If you’re a parent, teacher, or caregiver wondering “Why is this child always in trouble at school?” this conversation will land. Dr Neil Alexander-Passe – teacher, researcher, exam access assessor, and author – unpacks what schools often misread in neurodivergent behaviour (dyslexia, ADHD, autism), why “naughty” can be a disguised help request, and how shame, repeated failure, and isolation-style discipline can build school-based trauma. You’ll also hear practical steps for spotting needs early, how to push for screening and support, and how simple shifts (like not doing your child’s homework for them) can create the evidence schools can’t ignore. Neil also connects the dots to the “school-to-prison pipeline” – not as scare-mongering, but as a systems warning and a call for earlier, wiser intervention. Chapter timestamps (for easy listening) 00:00 – Why neurodivergent children are “always in trouble” at school 03:10 – The three groups teachers often see: “naughty”, “quiet”, and “middle” 05:33 – What school feels like from the inside with dyslexia and ADHD: shame, threat, learned helplessness 12:52 – “School-to-prison pipeline” explained in plain terms 13:52 – Hidden literacy needs and prison systems that assume reading and writing 19:06 – What adults misread: disruptive behaviour as a masked request for help 22:40 – EBSA, school distress, and why “avoidance” can be the wrong frame 31:22 – Homework: why doing it for your child backfires – and what to do instead 34:59 – Language that shapes mindset: grades vs effort, global labels vs specific feedback 38:19 – Practical screening clues: early signs of dyslexia, ADHD, and autism 44:05 – Rebuilding identity after “I’m stupid” / “I’m the bad kid”: strengths, passions, and the right tutor 47:25 – Post-school success: neurodivergent strengths, entrepreneurship, and support networks (including AI tools) 52:09 – A message for exhausted teachers: ask “why” before punishment 54:26 – Hope: inclusion awareness and the changing role of SENCOs 56:16 – Parent takeaway: don’t wait, raise concerns early, and don’t be pushed into removing your child 57:55 – Mainstream vs specialist provision, EHCP realities, and why Year 5 timing matters 01:04:12 – Neil’s upcoming books (including neurodivergent entrepreneurs) Three key messages Behaviour is often communication – and “naughty” can be a child protecting themselves. Avoidance, clowning, shutdowns, and meltdowns can be self-protection when work feels impossible or humiliating. Early identification beats late consequences. Neil argues primary school is the best window for meaningful observation and support – because secondary systems can become too fragmented to “see” the child properly. Stop feeding shame – in school and at home. Public failure, isolation-style discipline, and “I’m rubbish at…” language create learned helplessness. Specific feedback, effort-focused praise, and strengths-based identity building can change trajectories. Resources mentioned in the conversation Screeners and early identification: Neil recommends parents do their own initial research and use screeners for dyslexia, ADHD, and autism, then push the school with something concrete rather than “my child is struggling”. EBSA and school distress: the idea that what’s labelled “emotionally based school avoidance” may often be better understood as school-based distress caused by the environment. EHCP, PRU, managed moves: discussion of how systems and placements can unintentionally intensify difficulties when underlying needs aren’t properly supported. Homework boundary strategy: allow a set time (eg 30–40 minutes), stop, then add a note stating how long your child worked and what they managed – so home and school evidence matches. Martin Seligman’s work: shifting from global labels (“I’m rubbish at maths”) to specific struggle areas – and focusing praise on effort rather than grades. Using AI as an accessibility tool: an example of simplifying language (eg menus) to support independence and reduce shame. Why listen to this episode Because it challenges a common (and tempting) assumption: “They’re in trouble because they’re choosing it.” Neil keeps pulling the lens back to systems, shame, and unmet needs – and that’s uncomfortable in a useful way. If you’re supporting a child who’s labelled disruptive, withdrawn, lazy, or “always in isolation”, this episode gives you language, framing, and next steps that are practical – not fluffy. About Dr Neil Alexander-Passe Dr Neil Alexander-Passe is a London-based teacher, researcher, author, and exam access assessor specialising in the emotional lived experience of learning differences. He completed a PhD in 2018 on dyslexia, traumatic schooling, and post-school success, and has published multiple peer-reviewed ...
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    35 Min.
  • Restorative Practice That Works: How to Debrief After Difficult Behaviour

    Restorative Practice That Works: How to Debrief After Difficult Behaviour
    Feb 20 2026
    In this solo episode, behaviour specialist and author Andy Baker unpacks one of the most overlooked parts of behaviour support: what happens after the incident. Whether you’re working in a school, supporting adults in care, or navigating tough moments at home, the post-incident debrief is often where the real growth happens – yet most settings rush it, avoid it, or unintentionally turn it into another punishment. Andy breaks down why restorative conversations fail when done too soon, too harshly, or with the wrong focus, and offers a simple, practical framework for debriefing that protects dignity, reduces shame, builds connection and genuinely improves future behaviour. This episode is essential listening for caregivers, parents, teachers, support workers and anyone navigating distress or dysregulation in others. 🧰 Resources Mentioned Andy's Book – Targeting the Positive with Behaviours That Challenge A practical guide featuring the full Six-Stage TARGET Model and the PERFORM Debrief Framework. (Listeners are directed to the link in your episode description.) Able Target System – Trauma-informed, restorative, person-centred behaviour support framework embedded throughout Andy’s training and consultancy. 🔑 Three Key Messages Debriefing is learning, not punishment. If all we take from an incident is a report form and a bruise, we’ve wasted pain that could have become insight. Restorative practice only works when shame is removed. When people feel heard, their brain reopens to learning. When they feel shamed, reflection shuts down. Boundaries and humanity belong together. Restorative approaches don’t remove limits – they strengthen them by pairing accountability with connection. ⏱️ Chapter Timestamps 00:00 – Why debriefing matters more than we think The hidden stage most settings skip – and why outcomes suffer when they do. 00:24 – Where schools, care services and parents go wrong Common mistakes: retraumatising conversations, shame responses, and “confession-based” debriefs. 01:14 – Learning from incidents: the fire analogy Why incident forms aren’t enough without meaningful reflection. 02:23 – Why we avoid debriefs Shame, fear of judgement, time pressures and the myth that “they won’t learn anyway”. 03:33 – Punishment vs restorative learning Why consequences don’t automatically create insight. 04:12 – Supporting the adults too The emotional impact on staff and caregivers – and what reflective practice should include. 05:26 – The PERFORM Debrief Script A step-by-step walkthrough: P – Prepare E – Explore the story R – Reflect on feelings and needs F – Feedback on impact O – Ownership through repair R – Responsibility for next time M – Map the future 08:53 – A real-life story: shouting match avoided How one parent transformed a tense evening into connection through the right questions. 10:18 – Why shouting never teaches what we think it does Fear creates compliance, not growth. 12:14 – The true purpose of restorative practice Connection, rehearsal, emotional safety and future-proofing behaviour. 13:34 – Behaviour is like the weather How to become the “behaviour weatherman” through the TARGET model and emotional insight. 🎧 Why Listen to This Episode? This episode will help you if: You want to repair relationships after meltdowns, crises or confrontations. You support children or adults who experience overwhelm or dysregulation. You feel stuck repeating the same incidents without seeing change. You want a script, not just theory. You’re trying to build a culture of safety, dignity and accountability. If you’re a parent, teacher, care worker, foster carer, SENCO, TA, support worker or leader in education or care, this episode will give you grounded, real-world tools to use today. 📲 Connect with Able to Care & Able Training Podcast Website: https://able-training.co.uk/podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abletraining/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abletrainingexperience LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/able-training-ltd-/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@abletocarepodcast
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    Weniger als 1 Minute
  • Future Care Made Simple: Vicky Jones on Planning Before Crisis Hits

    Future Care Made Simple: Vicky Jones on Planning Before Crisis Hits
    Feb 17 2026

    What if preparing for the future wasn’t morbid… but empowering? In this episode, I sit down with Vicky Jones, founder of Ourlives, former social care director, mum of two, and someone who learned early in life that everything can change with a single knock at the door. Drawing on 25 years in health and social care, her own ADHD diagnosis, sobriety journey, and the sudden loss of her father, Vicky is on a mission to stop people waiting for crisis before taking action.

    Whether you’re a paid carer, an unpaid family caregiver, a teacher supporting overwhelmed families, or a parent trying to balance your own future alongside your children’s, this conversation offers something essential: clarity, calm, and a roadmap for what so many people avoid thinking about until it’s too late.

    We unpack why people discount their future selves, the emotional blocks that stop families having conversations they desperately need, and the key steps every adult should take long before aging, illness or caring responsibilities hit.

    🌐 Resources & Links Mentioned

    • Ourlives – Future planning community & tools Website: https://www.ourlivesapp.com Life Audit (free questionnaire): Add link once live

    • Connect with Vicky Jones LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/victoria-jones-2906ab83 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourlivesapp TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ourlivesapp Email: https://able-training.co.uk/podcast

    • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abletraining/

    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abletrainingexperience

    • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/able-training-ltd-/

    • YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@abletocarepodcast

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    1 Min.
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