Shropshire's Parent Carer Forum

Our vision is to help make Shropshire a great place for SEND families to thrive and have the same opportunities as everyone else. We will listen to our community and bring people together to create a more powerful voice to inform and influence change. We promise to champion your voice.

We do this by focusing on three key work areas:

• Influence & Change
• Information Provision
• Community Support

Our commitment to our community is to empower Parent Carers to influence change in local systems and services by sharing their experiences, to inform families to support them to make aspirational decisions for their children, and to create a supportive community within which our families can thrive.

Influence & Change:

We aim to empower our SEND Parent Carer community to be heard and influence change through sharing their experiences. We champion Parent Carers voices to inform and influence system change. We represent the SEND community to support local services to makes changes to improve families lives. We ask Parent Carers to share their experiences with us so we understand the variety of experiences across our community. We may do this via surveys, meetings, online forums, workshops, and events. We aim to drive aspirational outcomes and change throughout Shropshire. We deliver independent representation, create reports, data, and reflections based on real life experiences of families across Shropshire.

Information Provision:

We aim to empower our SEND Parent Carer community to be informed with accurate and appropriate information. We provide information and signposting that supports families to make informed decisions about the care they and their family receive. We offer regular communications about new opportunities and changes in the SEND system. We host focused events and opportunities to discuss and learn more about key topics and priorities across our community. These include inviting system leaders, practitioners, and guest speakers to meet directly with Parent Carers. We share information, resources, and updates from local services and our community partners to help SEND Parent Carers remain informed about opportunities in their local area.

Community Support:

We aim to empower our SEND community to be better connected, reducing isolation and improving family life. We facilitate a community network to share information and get support. This is delivered through our multiple social media networks and community opportunities we host. Our networks are supported by caring and experienced Parent Carers who, like you, are navigating the SEND system with their own families.

We provide a variety of support offers:

• Preparation for Adulthood Navigators
• Buddies and Buddies Jnr Community Groups
• Activity Coordination
• Learning and Information Sessions

Our Parent Carer community are empowered to participate in opportunities that foster friendships, create connections, and reduce isolation.

You can find out more about what we do on our website and social media:

www.paccshropshire.org.uk

Email: info@paccshropshire.org.uk

@shropspacc on Twitter and Facebook