{"id":1242,"date":"2026-04-14T11:41:45","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T10:41:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/?page_id=1242"},"modified":"2026-04-23T14:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-04-23T13:20:08","slug":"what-weve-learned","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/what-weve-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"What We&#8217;ve Learned"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"1242\" class=\"elementor elementor-1242\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5823a97e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5823a97e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6077d8f2 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"6077d8f2\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5adc31ab elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"5adc31ab\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What We've Learned<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-647968fe elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"647968fe\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>At <strong>IRIS<\/strong>, we believe that <strong>learning from lived experiences <\/strong><strong>and research<\/strong> is the foundation of meaningful change. This section highlights the insights we\u2019ve gained from families, system patterns, and our own journey. By sharing these lessons, we aim to deepen understanding and drive progress in supporting families of children with complex needs.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e86b7ca e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"e86b7ca\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f3e2635 elementor-widget elementor-widget-n-accordion\" data-id=\"f3e2635\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;default_state&quot;:&quot;expanded&quot;,&quot;max_items_expended&quot;:&quot;one&quot;,&quot;n_accordion_animation_duration&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;ms&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:400,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"nested-accordion.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-n-accordion\" aria-label=\"Accordion. Open links with Enter or Space, close with Escape, and navigate with Arrow Keys\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-2550\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" open>\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"1\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-expanded=\"true\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-2550\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> Why Learning Matters <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-2550\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e6daca5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e6daca5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-113ec53 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"113ec53\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Learning from lived experiences and research is essential because:<\/p><ul><li><p>It <strong>centres the voices<\/strong> of families, ensuring their needs and challenges are heard and addressed.<\/p><\/li><li><p>It <strong>informs evidence-based practices<\/strong>, allowing us to develop solutions that truly work.<\/p><\/li><li><p>It <strong>drives systemic change<\/strong>, helping us advocate for policies and services that make a real difference.<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-2551\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"2\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-2551\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> What Families Tell Us <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-2551\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cb1f4ad e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"cb1f4ad\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-aec951e elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"aec951e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Through our engagement with families, we\u2019ve identified common themes and patterns:<\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Navigation Challenges:<\/strong> Families often struggle to navigate complex systems, leading to frustration and unmet needs.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Isolation and Burnout:<\/strong> Parents and siblings frequently experience isolation, mental health challenges, and burnout due to lack of support.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Gaps in Services:<\/strong> Many families report that services are fragmented, with critical gaps in education, health, and social care.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Empowerment Through Knowledge:<\/strong> Families thrive when they have access to clear information, peer support, and advocacy tools.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p>\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-2552\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"3\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-2552\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> System Patterns <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-2552\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-151bfe5 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"151bfe5\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-b8adfe3 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"b8adfe3\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Our work has revealed recurring issues and gaps in the current system:<\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Silos Between Services:<\/strong> Education, health, and social care often operate in isolation, leaving families to bridge the gaps.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Crisis-Driven Responses:<\/strong> Support is frequently reactive rather than proactive, leading to preventable crises.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Lack of Family-Centred Approaches:<\/strong> Services often focus on the child\u2019s needs without considering the well-being of the entire family.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Limited Access to Resources:<\/strong> Families face barriers in accessing information, financial support, and community resources.<\/p><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<details id=\"e-n-accordion-item-2553\" class=\"e-n-accordion-item\" >\n\t\t\t\t<summary class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title\" data-accordion-index=\"4\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-expanded=\"false\" aria-controls=\"e-n-accordion-item-2553\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-header'><div class=\"e-n-accordion-item-title-text\"> Our Commitment to Continuous Learning <\/div><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class='e-n-accordion-item-title-icon'>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-opened' ><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-minus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class='e-closed'><i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-plus\"><\/i><\/span>\n\t\t<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/summary>\n\t\t\t\t<div role=\"region\" aria-labelledby=\"e-n-accordion-item-2553\" class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a4c022a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-child\" data-id=\"a4c022a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d5e92e4 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"d5e92e4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>We are dedicated to:<\/p><ul><li><p><strong>Expanding our research<\/strong> to fill gaps in knowledge and inform best practices.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Amplifying family voices<\/strong> in policy discussions and service design.<\/p><\/li><li><p><strong>Collaborating with partners<\/strong> to create systemic change that benefits all families.<\/p><\/li><\/ul><p>By learning together, we can build a future where <strong>every family receives the support they need to thrive<\/strong>.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/details>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-eb76d1a e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"eb76d1a\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07cd9ac elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"07cd9ac\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/accessing-support\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Get in Touch<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-db7935b e-con-full e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"db7935b\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9b68287 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"9b68287\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" src=\"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/banner-bg-disability.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-270\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/banner-bg-disability.jpg 1012w, https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/banner-bg-disability-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/banner-bg-disability-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-767f70d e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"767f70d\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-cdc934b elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"cdc934b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>For deeper insights, <strong>explore our Substack<\/strong>, where we share in-depth analyses, family stories, and research findings. Our goal is to foster a community of learning and advocacy, positioning IRIS as a <strong>thought leader<\/strong> in this space.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f76fad9 elementor-align-center elementor-widget elementor-widget-button\" data-id=\"f76fad9\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"button.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-button-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-button elementor-button-link elementor-size-sm\" href=\"#\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-content-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-button-text\">Coming Soon<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What We&#8217;ve Learned At IRIS, we believe that learning from lived experiences and research is the foundation of meaningful change. This section highlights the insights we\u2019ve gained from families, system patterns, and our own journey. By sharing these lessons, we aim to deepen understanding and drive progress in supporting families of children with complex needs. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1242","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1242"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1396,"href":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1242\/revisions\/1396"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/irisfamilysupport.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}