Sector Training Activities

Advocacy Skills: A workshop for parents with school age children (Session 3)

Review previous session, progress report | Working out what to ask for – prioritising, and using short and long term goals to guide decisions (work on documenting goals, prioritising) | The 4 M’s of effective education plans | Mastering meetings  - what to do before, during and after | What comes next?  Persisting, joining with and/or helping others.

About the presenter:

Derrin Cramer is an Education Consultant living in Perth Western Australia, working directly with families.  Currently a large proportion of her time is spent providing in the area of advocacy support and education planning, helping parents build confidence and knowledge in seeking educational ‘fit’ for their child.  While her work is primarily with families with gifted children, many of whom also have additional needs, the insights and experience gained from almost 20 years of experience apply equally well to families with children whose learning needs fall outside the norm.  Using a practical approach built on her experiences as a parent, teacher and specialist consultant, she aims to empower families to confidently guide their child’s education.

Derrin has been proactive in seeking experiences to meet her own children’s needs both in school and in the community and in 2001 established Thinking Ahead which became a major source of information and services to families in the gifted and twice exceptional community in Western Australia, offering workshops for children and families and providing specialist support to teachers and schools.  She has completed higher qualifications including a Master of Education (Gifted and Talented), has been involved with state, national and international bodies representing the interests of gifted children and remains an active researcher, regularly presenting at conferences in Australia and overseas.  She has two young adult daughters.