This is one of three posts highlighting the meaningful contributions made by charities and Community Interest Companies that support Parental Mental Health Day, aligned with SDG 3 goal: "Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages", and to the related key targets.
Rebecca Luke-Isaac is a parent carer and experienced family worker with over fifteen years’ experience supporting children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). She currently works for Contact, a nationwide charity supporting families of children and young people aged 0–25, providing guidance, resources, and practical support tailored to each family’s needs.
With a background in teaching and advocacy, Rebecca brings both professional expertise and personal insight to her work, helping families navigate complex systems while promoting parental mental health and wellbeing. Based in Ealing, she wears multiple “hats” in her professional life, championing diversity, equity, and inclusion across educational and community settings.
Passionate about creating inclusive spaces, Rebecca is committed to supporting parents and carers in their journey of healing, learning, and self-care, highlighting the importance of resilience and lived experience in shaping supportive communities for SEND families.
Supporting Parents’ Wellbeing
In your experience, what are the biggest mental health challenges for parent carers, and how does Contact’s work help to tackle these?
Parent carers often carry an overwhelming mental and physical load—juggling the needs of their child with SEND, navigating complex systems, and coping with emotional exhaustion. This relentless pressure can lead to burnout, anxiety, and poor physical health.
Contact supports parents by offering practical guidance alongside emotional and peer support. We encourage parents to listen to their own needs, recognise when to seek help, and take steps to care for both their mental and physical well-being. This holistic approach helps build resilience and supports parents in their caregiving roles.
How does Contact’s SEND support help reduce the emotional and mental load experienced by parent carers, particularly around Parental Mental Health Day 2026?
From my experience as a parent carer with ADHD and a Contact Ealing Family worker, the emotional and physical load on parents of children with SEND is immense. It’s a constant balancing act—managing appointments, advocating for their child, coping with unpredictable challenges—all while often neglecting their own health and wellbeing. This kind of sustained pressure can lead to exhaustion, anxiety, and sometimes physical health issues.
At Contact, we understand that supporting parent carers means supporting their whole wellbeing—both mental and physical. We provide safe spaces where parents can share their experiences and feel truly heard, which alone can ease some of the mental weight. Our one-to-one support, workshops, wellbeing events and coffee mornings give parents much-needed support and breaks to focus on themselves, recharge, and connect with others who understand. Around Parental Mental Health Day, we emphasise the importance of recognising and addressing these pressures before they become overwhelming.
Accessing the Right Support
Many parents say navigating the SEND system can be overwhelming. What are the most common challenges families bring to you, and how do you help ease that stress?
The SEND system can be incredibly complex and exhausting to navigate, which adds to parents’ mental load. Many tell me they feel emotionally drained trying to understand the systems, waiting for assessments, managing school relationships, and dealing with benefit claims—all on top of caring for their child day to day.
At Contact, we break down these processes into clear, manageable steps and provide consistent, compassionate guidance. Helping parents feel informed and less alone in this process reduces mental fatigue and empowers them to take control. This practical support, combined with emotional reassurance and empowerment, helps lighten the burden both mentally and physically.
Building Confidence and Community
Loneliness and isolation are known risk factors for poor mental health among parent carers. How does Contact’s work help parents feel more connected and supported?
Isolation adds another heavy layer to the mental load carried by parent carers. When caring demands are intense, it’s easy to become socially isolated, which can harm both mental and physical health.
Contact groups and events offer parents a chance to connect, share experiences, and build supportive friendships. Being part of a community where parents feel understood is a vital source of emotional strength and relief from isolation. This sense of connection can have a positive impact on overall well-being.
Practical Strategies for Parents
What practical tips or resources do you share with SEND parents to help them protect their own mental well-being while caring for a child with additional needs?
I encourage parents to recognise that caring for themselves is essential—not a luxury. Many parents push themselves to breaking point without realising the toll it takes on their mental and physical health.
Through Contact’s support, we help parents identify early signs of stress and exhaustion and encourage them to set realistic boundaries and ask for help. Self-care doesn’t need to be complicated; small, consistent actions like taking short breaks, practising mindfulness, or simply allowing themselves rest can make a significant difference in managing the ongoing demands of caring.
Looking Ahead to 2026 and Beyond
With Parental Mental Health Day 2026 focusing on awareness and empowerment, what changes would you like to see in the SEND landscape to support families’ mental health better?
I want to see mental health and physical well-being recognised as central to SEND support, with services that address both proactively. Early intervention, timely mental health support, and better access to practical help would prevent many parent carers from reaching crisis point.
It’s also vital that parent carers feel respected and valued as partners in the SEND system. When their mental and physical health is supported, they can better care for their children. Parental Mental Health Day 2026 is a chance to highlight this essential connection and promote holistic, family-centred support.
For supporting Springer Nature journal articles, collections and ISRCTN clinical study registrations chosen by our publishers, check out our highlights campaign. You can also read the related post from Parental Minds C.I.C and the post from Mental Health Foundation.
Poster by Getty Images. Credit: Klaus Vedfelt