Today something really important happened for our campaign.

During Education Questions in the House of Commons, my MP raised the issue of selective mutism directly with the Secretary of State — and she named me and the work we are all doing together to secure a dedicated selective mutism pathway.

She asked:

“My constituent Joanna is working tirelessly to secure a dedicated selective mutism pathway because children are going without the support they need. Will the Secretary of State agree to finally addressing this gap in provision?”

The Minister responded by confirming that the Department for Education is working with experts nationally on new inclusion frameworks, and she said she would be happy to discuss this further with my MP.

This is a meaningful step forward.
It means:

• selective mutism is now formally on the parliamentary record
• the lack of support has been acknowledged at national level
• there is now an open door for further discussion and influence
• our campaign is being taken seriously

I never expected our petition to reach Parliament, but it has — because of every single person who has signed, shared, and spoken up. Thank you for standing with me and with every child who deserves to be understood and supported.

This is progress, and we will keep going.

Joanna 💛