One Sentence helped me stop crying and start Advocating
Struggling to write your NDIS carer statement without becoming overwhelmed? In this heartfelt blog post, Hayley from Thriving Slowly shares the exact prompt that helped her advocate with clarity — not tears. Learn how to use functional language, get practical tips for your next plan review, and download a free advocacy guide with 10 simple shifts for parents navigating the NDIS, therapy, and support systems. Perfect for caregivers looking for calm, confidence, and real-life tools.
7/14/20252 min read
The one prompt that helped me write my Carer Statement without Crying
by Hayley | Thriving Slowly
There’s something about preparing for an NDIS planning meeting that just… unravels you.
It’s not just the paperwork. It’s everything it represents — your child’s needs, your daily reality, the weight of carrying it all, and the pressure to explain it clearly to someone who may not know your child at all.
I remember one night before a planning meeting, I opened my laptop to write my carer statement… and just stared. The words were all there in my head — but they were tangled with emotion. I cried. I got frustrated. I closed it and opened it again three times.
If you’ve been there too, this post is for you.
Why It Feels So Hard
As parents and carers, we live in the details. The moments. The meltdowns. The strategies we’ve learned, the calm-down routines, the late-night Googling, the deep love, the exhaustion.
Trying to distill that into “reasonable and necessary” or “functional impact” feels so clinical — and yet, that’s what the system asks for.
It’s why I used to leave meetings feeling like I had failed to explain how hard things really are. Until I tried this…
✍️ The Prompt That Changed It All
Instead of starting from the heart (which made me cry), I started from a prompt:
“Write a calm and clear summary of how I support my child across daily living, community access, and emotional regulation. Focus on the functional impact and what would happen if I couldn’t provide this care.”
And just like that — it became about function, not feelings.
I could say things like:
“Provides emotional co-regulation across all daily transitions.”
“Supports mealtimes and toileting with ongoing physical prompts.”
“Child is unable to independently access the community due to safety concerns.”
I still felt all the emotion behind the words — but they were clear, calm, and strong. The kind of language that gets heard.
A Tip for You
If you’ve got a review coming up, or even if you’re just trying to prepare for the next step:
Try writing out the hard stuff using that prompt. You don’t have to get it perfect. Just start.
If it helps, I created a full guide with more of the small shifts that helped me feel less overwhelmed and more empowered in this space.
Download Your Free Guide:
The Thriving Advocate — 10 Simple Shifts That Changed How I Prepare for NDIS and Support Meetings
It includes:
10 simple shifts to support you in advocacy and calm
My trick for writing without emotional overwhelm
15 bonus questions to ask before any planning meeting
You are doing so much.
And I know what it’s like to feel like you have to carry it all — then explain it all to someone who wasn’t there for any of it.
But you don’t have to do this alone. That’s why I share what I’ve learned — so no one else has to start from scratch.
With love and calm,
Hayley
Thriving Slowly