An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) study exploring the experiences of lone mothers throughout the Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) process.

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2023), 16% of families in the UK were classified as lone-parent households. This means that approximately 1 in 6 families fell into this category. Of these, 85% were headed by lone mothers raising at least one dependent child. Research suggests that lone mothers are at risk of heightened blame and social judgement which can permeate into professional settings. From a sociological perspective, this marginalisation can leave lone mothers feeling disempowered and less able to voice their concerns due to systemic bias that undermines their credibility and agency. This raises important questions about how lone mothers navigate statutory processes. The Education Health and Care Needs Assessment (EHCNA) process emphasises the importance of centring the voices of children, young people (CYP) and their parents/carers within the statutory assessment process. While existing research explores parental experiences of the EHCNA, it largely overlooks the specific experiences of marginalised groups. A systematic literature review (SLR) found that there were limited studies which gained the experiences of lone mothers navigating processes regarding their children’s education, none of which discuss the EHCNA. This study addresses this gap through discussing the experiences of lone mothers navigating the EHCNA process. Grounded in an emancipatory and social justice context, the findings highlight systemic barriers, limited access to information and a strong desire amongst participants to improve the process to ensure equitable parental involvement. To gain an in depth understanding of experiences, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) methodology was used to capture the voices of four lone mothers from diverse demographic backgrounds through semi-structured interviews. Five master themes were interpreted using IPA including: ‘A power imbalance’, ‘I’m not in control here’, ‘Parental support’,‘Empowerment’ and ‘shaping a child-centred process for the future’. Despite the challenges, lone mothers demonstrated resilience through positioning themselves as persistent advocates for their children. While the themes align with broader findings on parental experiences in education, this study offers a distinctive lens on the intersection between lone motherhood and statutory assessment processes, highlighting issues such as: marginalisation, isolation, emotional burden, and self-blame. The findings contribute to the ongoing discourse on systemic iniquities in education, offering practical implications for educational professionals to ensure that all parents can fully and meaningfully engage in the EHCNA.