SEND Support and Information

About us

The Birmingham Parent Carer Forum is a voluntary group of Birmingham parent carers who have experience of children with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

Their aim is to be a collective voice for families and provide a link with local services to help make sure that these services meet the needs of children and young people with SEND, and their families.

They aim to build strong and sustainable links between the Local Authority, Joint Clinical Commissioning Group and The Children’s Trust.

This short video tells you more about the Birmingham Parent Carer Forum:

BPCF – What We’re All About Infographic [PDF version]

What Is Their Vision?

Birmingham is a place where every SEND child and adult is heard and valued, where services are timely and accessible, and where parents and carers work together with professionals to provide positive opportunities for all.

How they can help

Birmingham Parent Carer Forum can help with:

• engaging with parent carers within the local community and listening to your experiences of services in Birmingham,
• being a voice of parents and carers and sharing your views with local services,
• organising parent carer events​,
• signposting to voluntary support groups and SEND services in Birmingham.

Forms of contact

• Email
• Family events
• Social media (Facebook and Twitter)

How can I get involved with Birmingham Parent Carer Forum?

If you are a parent or carer of a child or young person (aged 0 – 25) with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities who lives in Birmingham, and/or whose child uses Birmingham Education, Health or Social Care Services you can become a member of the forum!

However much or little you choose to get involved you will be helping to make a difference to the services that matter so much to our children. 

Join the Birmingham Parent Carer Forum

How to access the service:

Email: info@birminghampcf.org

Follow us on:

Twitter: @BirminghamPCF

Facebook: https: //www.facebook.com/BirminghamPCF/

Visit the website: https://www.birminghampcf.org/

About us

It can be very difficult for parents when they find out that their child has a Special Educational Need or Disability. We know that it can help if parents have someone to talk to who has been through a similar experience.

To support this, we have launched our Parent Champions service. Parent Champions are parents and carers from across the city who have children with a wide variety of needs that are happy to meet with parents who need some early support outside of the education, health or care system.

Parent Champions are available for one-to-one meetings with parents within local communities and can also attend family forums. We match parents with parent champions who have had similar experiences.

How we can help

Parent Champions can help with:

• information and advice on a range of topics based on their own experiences,
• signposting parents to information and support,
• help for parents to have their say on key decisions being made by the Local Authority,
• translating information for parents if English is not their first language.

Forms of contact

• Telephone
• Email Parent Link Service Family forums and drop-ins

How to access the service

Contact the Parent Link Service on 0121 303 8461  or email ParentLinkService@birmingham.gov.uk to be put in touch with a Parent Champion.

Here we share two stories of our Parent Champions:

“I am a mother of two beautiful children, my son is in secondary school education and my daughter is in primary school education. I work part time in a busy NHS Birmingham hospital, which gives me insight into the NHS referral pathway process.  

Both of my children have multiple SEND needs, which differ from one another. I understand the sometimes frustrating and emotional process of gaining a diagnosis and then getting this addressed within school, in order to access the best level of support and care available for my children.

As a parent champion I intend on sharing my experience and knowledge of my children’s diagnosis process, as I’ve learnt such a lot about how to access and self-refer to a number of different services. I’ve had many a bad day where I’ve felt alone, unheard and professionals seem to be obstructive, so if I could help empower even one parent and their child along this journey then that would be amazing!”

—————

“I am a mum of three amazing children and have experience of finding information about what is available for children with additional needs within the local and wider community. I work part time and term time in order to have a good family work/ life balance. My eldest daughter attends a high school and my youngest two children attend a local primary school. I enjoy spending quality time with my family and creating beautiful memories for them. 

In my role as a parent champion, I am hoping to listen to, help and guide other parents and carers through their journey. I am keen to help by signposting parents to sources of advice, information and guidance within my local community. I support families with issues around integration, encouraging parental involvement, addressing specific needs and raising awareness of extended services within the local community. I am also able to act as an interpreter as and when required.”

Can I become a Parent Champion?

Any parent of a child or young person up to the age of 25 years can volunteer to be a Parent Champion.

All Parent Champions must take part in a training day before starting their role and meeting other families. The role is flexible depending on your time and availability. You can give as little or as much support as you wish, at times to suit you. Being a Parent Champion can be a very rewarding experience. You will be part of a supportive community network of parents helping each other.

How can I apply to become a Parent Champion?

Email to ParentLinkService@birmingham.gov.uk and we will contact you or just pop in into one of our family forums to have a chat.