about us
WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO
We are a voluntary group of parent carers, all experts by experience, with a lived understanding of how challenging life can be raising a child with additional needs and / or disabilities.
Our aim is to gather the voices of Warwickshire parent carers and let these be heard to ensure that services meet the needs of our children and our families.
We do this by gathering views and experiences in a variety of ways to suit all circumstances. We then work in partnership with the local authority, education settings, health and other providers to highlight where local services and processes are working well or challenge when changes or improvements need to be made.
Although we are not a support group, we have lots of resources and information and our Facebook so you never need to feel like you are all alone.
We also provide training and signposting in the areas needed to provide information and empowerment to parent carers.
In a post Covid world we will be hosting events to give families an opportunity to come together. We will provide information, facilitate the sharing of stories and enable parent cares to support each other and create change.
Our Steering Group
Our Steering Group is made up of parent carers from across Warwickshire.
Elaine
Chair
Hello, I’m Elaine and I was excited to get involved as Chair of the new parent carer forum for Warwickshire as I have a passion for community development and making society a better place. I have four children aged 8-17 in mainstream schools, two with identified additional needs – one with an EHCP and the other on SEN support. In addition to being a parent carer, I work part time for a charity managing a community centre and am a trustee for a national charity.
Cathy
Hello everyone I’m Cathy and I’m mum to two neurodivergent teens (of all flavours!). It has been a tough few years, and I’m keen to bring about change so that others don’t have to go through what we did. I also run Autistic Girls Network charity, and am studying for a Masters in Autism in my ‘spare’ time.
Tricia
Hi I’m Tricia. I work in autism outreach, am a SEND Governor at a local Nursery, and have also been a local councillor for 7 years now. The reason I have volunteered to be part of the Steering Committee of WPCV is because I am passionate about ensuring parent carers have easier to navigate and supportive services, and that no family, or child is left behind.
Melissa
Hi I’m Melissa, volunteer Treasurer and love anything spreadsheets & data. I’ve volunteered to help ensure there is a mechanism for parent carer voices to be heard in the shaping of SEN services to be supportive and accessible to all.
Hayley
Hayley Williams-Hindle. Parent to 4 sons: ages 4-14, two are ASD and ADHD, as am I. I’m a coach, brain change practitioner, an artist (data visualisation) and researcher into autism and practical interventions to support ND wellbeing and co-founder of Siblings at the Same School movement (2012). Excited to be in the mix here – collaborating to shift into more productive, efficient and informed and compassionate connection with our children and young people.
About us
We are a voluntary group of parent carers, all experts by experience, with a lived understanding of how challenging life can be raising a child with additional needs and / or disabilities.
Our aim is to gather the voices of Warwickshire parent carers and let these be heard to ensure that services meet the needs of our children and our families.
Join Us
You can become a Member of Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice if you have a child age 0-25 with any Special Educational Need or Disability (whether they have a diagnosis or not) and you live in or access services for your child in Warwickshire.
OUR STRENGTH IS IN OUR NUMBERS
Volunteer
We run almost entirely on volunteers, our Steering Group, our Parent Reps and those who help out at events or coffee mornings or with admin. We need you to help us build Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice into an organisation that can make a difference in shaping co-produced services, taking into account the needs and preferences of parent carers of children and young people with SEND.
Links & Support
Help us build this into the ultimate signposting resource so that the parent carers in Warwickshire can find all the information they need quickly.
What We've done
Find out what your Parent Carer Forum is up to and what’s been happening for families of children and young people with SEND in Warwickshire.
News & Events
EBSA Focus Groups
Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice are currently working with education, health and social care to develop a pathway, training and toolkit for children and young people who struggle with Emotionally Based School Avoidance (you may also have heard attendance difficulties...
Meetings with Johnny Kyriacou (Assistant Director of Education)
We are really pleased to be able to offer three sessions for parent carers to meet the new Assistant Director for Education at Warwickshire County Council. We appreciate that Warwickshire is a big county and there is never a 'good' time for parent carers so have...
inclusive schools
We are currently carrying our a survey to find out how inclusive parents in Warwickshire feel our schools are - please complete it here https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/WarwickshireInclusion/ (closing date Sunday 19th February).
Administrator required
Are you an admin whizz? If so we need you! We are recruiting an administrator to support the ongoing development of our organisation. Full details and application form here. Closing date: Midnight Sunday 19th February 2023. Interviews will be held week commencing 27th...
Exclusions Film
We are really proud to share this film to support families facing the exclusion of their child at school. We co-produced this with students from University of Warwick and Warwickshire County Council to help families understand the legal processes....
Inclusive Schools Charter
After many months of hard work the new Inclusion Charter has been launched and schools across Warwickshire are being asked to show their commitment to providing an inclusive education for all children and young people. The Charter was coproduced with Warwickshire...
local offer
We are really pleased to be working with Warwickshire County Council and Kids at this session to improve the Local Offer website. We'd love to see you there and if you have a young person aged 12-25 please do get your young people to sign up too.
SEND AND ALternative Provision Green paper response
This is a copy of our submission to the SEND and Alternative Provision Green Paper Consultation. What key factors should be considered, when developing national standards to ensure they deliver improved outcomes and experiences for children and young people with SEND...
Summer holidays
So that's the end of another school year. We can't believe how quickly this school year has gone (and how many hours of meetings and workstreams we have attended representing your views using the information that you tell us - THANK YOU - we couldn't do it with out...
COntinence SErvice Update
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our call for information on the Continence Service. Background Warwickshire Parent Carer Voice (WPCV) became aware of the challenges families were facing with accessing continence services and asked David Widdas (Designated...