What we do:
Bexley Voice:
When do we meet?
Bexley Voice would like to invite you to our 'Tea and Talk Parent/Carer Support' group. It is a good time to come along, meet our members, have an informal chat over a cup of tea and discuss any issues you may have. We can offer advice on various issues such as statements/EHC Plans, transport, transition, schools, benefits and activities.
Bexley Voice also has regular committee and sub-group meetings to discuss any issues, updates of meetings and the general logistics of running the charity.
If asked ‘What do the Bexley Voice Team Do?’ What would you say?
You are probably aware that we provide many things including:
As well as the parent facing side of Bexley Voice there are other aspects to what we do.
We attend Strategic meetings with the Local Authority – some examples are:
For these meetings, which generally happen quarterly, we have an identified BV representative who commits to read meeting papers, attend regularly and feed back to the BV Committee. This representative undertakes to take away actions from the meeting, report back and contribute fully.
We also attend other regular meetings, things like:
We also feed into national surveys that help build a picture of what families are dealing with across the country. These inform decision making by Government – BV’s responses have been quoted in several summary documents in recent years.
Hopefully, this gives you a flavour of the wider work we at Bexley Voice are involved with.
It probably also gives you an idea of the size of the challenge we face in terms of providing reps etc.
If you are reading this and are thinking – I could help with that, that sounds interesting, I wonder what kind of commitment is required to get involved? Is there any training available? What support would there be as I haven’t done this kind of thing before? Please do get in touch. We would be very happy to talk to you about all of the above and support you to become part of our team.
Please email [email protected] for more information.
Bexley Voice:
- Attend regular meetings with service providers, such as Bexley Council, providing feedback to them about the needs that our children have.
- Provide a central consultation point for any organisation that needs advice on children or young people with special needs and/or disabilities.
- Signpost parents and carers who need contact information for local and national organisations, groups and charities.
- Have visited over 50 schools in Bexley as part of our School Visit Programme.
- Organised 3 Parent/Carer Conferences and over 30 parent and carer workshops on many different subjects such as the SEN Reforms.
- Support families by telephone, email and via our large information website and private Facebook group.
When do we meet?
Bexley Voice would like to invite you to our 'Tea and Talk Parent/Carer Support' group. It is a good time to come along, meet our members, have an informal chat over a cup of tea and discuss any issues you may have. We can offer advice on various issues such as statements/EHC Plans, transport, transition, schools, benefits and activities.
Bexley Voice also has regular committee and sub-group meetings to discuss any issues, updates of meetings and the general logistics of running the charity.
If asked ‘What do the Bexley Voice Team Do?’ What would you say?
You are probably aware that we provide many things including:
- An active parent/carer only Facebook group
- A website to keep parents up to date.
- 'Tea and Talk' parent and carer sessions to support parents face to face.
- Workshops and briefings to keep parents up to date.
- A school visit programme – to bring information and support to parents and now staff at schools.
- Focus groups and opportunities to respond to proposals/changes/ideas.
As well as the parent facing side of Bexley Voice there are other aspects to what we do.
We attend Strategic meetings with the Local Authority – some examples are:
- Carer’s Partnership Board
- SEND Reform Implementation Board
- Transition Steering Group
- Autism Strategy Sub Group
- CHSWG – Health Group
For these meetings, which generally happen quarterly, we have an identified BV representative who commits to read meeting papers, attend regularly and feed back to the BV Committee. This representative undertakes to take away actions from the meeting, report back and contribute fully.
We also attend other regular meetings, things like:
- Local Offer – numerous ad hoc meetings with the Local Offer development team to improve info available to parents. We also helped put on the Local Offer launch event.
- SEND Transport Parent engagement group – The LA can come to us when they need a range of reps to attend meetings. In this instance, we hope it will be an ongoing project and there will be opportunities for wider parental co-production.
- Meeting with The Director of Children’s Services – two or three of the committee have bi-monthly meetings to discuss parent issues.
- Network Meetings – we attend a range of meetings to network with other local voluntary groups and other parent forums in our region and nationally.
- Voluntary Forum and the Children and Young People’s Network Meeting – these enable us to identify opportunities to share information and work in partnership with other Bexley groups that support our families. They also keep us up to date on national and local issues in the Voluntary sector. Several members of the committee have attended these meetings.
- Regional Cluster Group Meetings - at these meetings we meet members from other forums in our region – we share best practice and are updated by our national reps on what is happening across the country in terms of parent participation. One or two of us attend this very valuable meeting once a quarter.
- Health Forum - we are just beginning to become involved with these forums to enable us to provide input on health issues.
- Other organisations AGMs – whenever we can we attend other groups AGMs to keep us up to date with what the groups that support our families are doing, their plans and challenges.
- National Conferences – Bexley Voice are members of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) and are supported by Contact a Family and the Council for Disabled Children – we attend meetings in London with these groups to understand the national picture and discover what support is available to us as a forum.
- We also attend meetings with the Department for Education to feed back directly on how the reforms are being implemented in Bexley.
We also feed into national surveys that help build a picture of what families are dealing with across the country. These inform decision making by Government – BV’s responses have been quoted in several summary documents in recent years.
Hopefully, this gives you a flavour of the wider work we at Bexley Voice are involved with.
It probably also gives you an idea of the size of the challenge we face in terms of providing reps etc.
If you are reading this and are thinking – I could help with that, that sounds interesting, I wonder what kind of commitment is required to get involved? Is there any training available? What support would there be as I haven’t done this kind of thing before? Please do get in touch. We would be very happy to talk to you about all of the above and support you to become part of our team.
Please email [email protected] for more information.
Parent/carer participation forums |
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Bexley Voice is a member of NNPCF (National Network of Parent Carer Forums) and supported by Contact A Family.
The National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) is made up of all of the parent carer forums from across England. The NNPCF ensures that local parent carer forums are aware of national developments and promotes opportunities for the voice of parent carers to influence at a national level. The NNPCF works closely with the Department for Education, the Department of Health, and other partner organisations to improve outcomes for children and young people with disabilities or additional needs and their families.
What is parent carer participation?
Parent carers can help pinpoint problems frequently experienced by families with disabled children. This knowledge is useful to professionals to help them improve how services are delivered so they better meet families' needs. When parents and professionals work together, recognising each other's expert knowledge, informed decisions are made which make the best use of people's time and money.
What is a parent carer forum?
A parent carer forum is a group of parents and carers of disabled children who work with local authorities, education, health and other providers to make sure the services they plan and deliver meet the needs of disabled children and families. Forums usually have a steering group of parents who lead this work and listen to the views of other parents in the local area to make sure they know what is important to them. Forums are keen to hear from as many parent carers as possible.
Who can join a parent carer forum?
Parents or carers of a child with any type of additional need or disability are welcome to join. Joining your forum does not mean you have to commit lots of time. In most forums you can join and receive information, and then decide if you want to get more involved at your own pace.
The National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) is made up of all of the parent carer forums from across England. The NNPCF ensures that local parent carer forums are aware of national developments and promotes opportunities for the voice of parent carers to influence at a national level. The NNPCF works closely with the Department for Education, the Department of Health, and other partner organisations to improve outcomes for children and young people with disabilities or additional needs and their families.
What is parent carer participation?
Parent carers can help pinpoint problems frequently experienced by families with disabled children. This knowledge is useful to professionals to help them improve how services are delivered so they better meet families' needs. When parents and professionals work together, recognising each other's expert knowledge, informed decisions are made which make the best use of people's time and money.
What is a parent carer forum?
A parent carer forum is a group of parents and carers of disabled children who work with local authorities, education, health and other providers to make sure the services they plan and deliver meet the needs of disabled children and families. Forums usually have a steering group of parents who lead this work and listen to the views of other parents in the local area to make sure they know what is important to them. Forums are keen to hear from as many parent carers as possible.
Who can join a parent carer forum?
Parents or carers of a child with any type of additional need or disability are welcome to join. Joining your forum does not mean you have to commit lots of time. In most forums you can join and receive information, and then decide if you want to get more involved at your own pace.
Bexley Voice is one of many parent/carer forums around the UK. If, for example, you have a child who goes to an out of borough school, or are thinking of moving, there are other forums who are able to offer you support. For the full list of NNPCF in the UK, please click here:
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Bromley
Organisation: Bromley Parent Voice Email: [email protected] Tel: 020 8776 3170 Website: www.bromleyparentvoice.org.uk Greenwich Organisation: Greenwich Parent Voice Email: [email protected] Tel: 07795 047469 Website: www.greenwichparentvoice.com Kent Organisation: Kent Parent Carer Forum Email: [email protected] Tel: 01233 469 241 Website: www.kpcf.co.uk Lewisham Organisation: Lewisham Parent and Carers Forum Email: [email protected] Tel: 020 8297 8056 Website: www.lewishamparentcarer.org.uk Medway Organisation: Medway Parents and Carers Forum Email: [email protected] Tel: - Website: www.medwaypcf.org.uk For a full list of NNPCF members, please click here |
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If you would like to become involved in the work of Bexley Voice, please click here:
