Transition Support for Parents

For disabled young people, their parents (please note that we use the term ‘parents' here to mean parents and carers) are often at the heart of brokering support services and communicating their needs to a range of agencies. They are the main support to their children. Parents' views and full participation are essential during transition. Although it is important to engage with disabled young people separately from their parents when seeking their views and wishes, parents, siblings and other significant people need to be at the heart of the planning process.

In order to participate at all levels, parents require information before meetings, access to information on local resources and support from identified professionals.

Barnet has several different ways in which parents' representatives of families with disabled children can contribute to local strategic planning. Participation at this level improves services and ensures that parents feel empowered. It also helps relationships between professionals and parents, since time spent together helps professionals understand the pressures that parents face and similarly helps parents to understand the constraints that are placed on professionals.

The local authority has a legal duty to provide information, advice and support to parents of children with special educational needs (SEN). It is recommended that this provision should be at ‘arms length' from the local authority so that parents are assured that the advice and information they receive is impartial and that the people they receive it from are independent of any decision making processes.

The Parent Partnership

The Parent Partnership is the local organisation which delivers this service. The Parent Partnership is based within the the local authority. It offers access to Independent Parental Supporters (IPSs) who are volunteers trained to provide support to parents. Parent Partnership Services can provide a range of support and advice to families going through the transition process including:

• running a confidential helpline
• giving impartial information and advice around SEN issues
• offering support in preparing for and attending meetings
• helping to fill in forms and write letters or reports
• supporting parents in resolving disagreements with the school or local authority
• signposting to other statutory and voluntary services
•  linking to local parent support groups and forums
• ensuring that parents' views help inform and influence local policy and practice
• offering training opportunities for parents and professionals.

Further information on how Parent Partnerships can support families can be found on the National Parent Partnership Network website

www.parentpartnership.org.uk

Parent Partnership Barnet offers free, confidential, impartial information, guidance, advice and support for parents/carers of children with special and additional educational needs via telephone or face-to-face meetings.

The service is available to all parents of children with a special or additional educational need aged between 0 - 19 years and living in the borough of Barnet.

Parent Partnership Barnet get involved with:

• children who are having problems with learning in school
• children with behavioural/emotional/social difficulties/school anxiety/attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
• children at School Action/School Action Plus
• accompanying parents to meetings at school/with the council to mediate and provide a solution focused approach
• supporting parents at and in preparation for annual reviews
• helping parents to write letters to school/ council
• applications for statutory assessment
• when the council decides not to commence a statutory assessment
• exclusions - fixed term and permanent
• secondary transfer
• issues around school placement
• signposting parents to other services within and outside the council
• help with appeals to Special Educational Needs Disability Tribunal (SENDIST), but not attending tribunals.

We also offer other services:

• training and information workshops for parents
• run Dyslexia support groups
• run school anxiety support groups
• providing information guides for parents
• information workshops on how to apply for statements
• support in starting parent support groups in schools.

Parental Support

Being a parent is one of the best jobs in the world but it can also be one of the toughest as family life can often be challenging and demanding. Sometimes you may feel like you want some extra help, support or advice but you don't know which way to turn. You might want to use parent support for issues like these:

• "My child's behaviour is getting out of hand."
• "I have got lots of questions about being a parent."
• "I'm worried about the next parent's evening."
• "Since my partner left me things haven't been the same."
• "I would like to know who else I can talk to about how my situation has changed."
• "I'm really worried about my daughter's schooling this year. Her self esteem is a problem."

We work in partnership with schools, health services and other professionals giving parents advice, support and guidance around parenting issues. We:

• offer one-to-one support
• provide specialist support for parents of children with:

• Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) or ADHD
• physical disabilities or complex needs
• hearing impairments
• visual impairments

• listen to parents and carers and give confidential support and guidance
• build on parent and family strengths and relationships
• give a chance to meet with other parents and carers
• provide information about other relevant support and services in Barnet
• run parenting courses
• offer support to parents when children first show signs of social, emotional, health or behavioural difficulties.

Parent's Voice

Parent's Voice is a group for all parents in Barnet to find out about services and influence decisions that affect you and your family. The meetings provide an opportunity to:

• gain valuable information
• discuss issues of concern or interest identified by parents and carers
• influence what is on offer for families in Barnet
• make new friends and get support from other parents
• find out more about how Barnet Council works
• be creative, heard and valued
• undertake training
• organise and contribute to events.

The ideas will feed into the Parenting Strategy and influence Barnet Council's Children's Trust priorities. We want you to coordinate, set agendas and chair your own meetings. You may choose to invite relevant professionals to come to your meetings and lead various workshops on agreed topics, for example housing, employment and training, etc.

To find out more about how to access support services contact the Parent Support Team using the details in the useful contacts section.

Find Parent Partnership Barnet information guides here:

http://www.barnet.gov.uk/index/education-learning/parental-support/parental-partnership-barnet/parent-partnership-info-guides.htm

pp4danBarnet

Parent-Carers Participation for Disabilities and Additional Needs Barnet

pp4danBarnet is Barnet's Parent-Carer Forum. The organisation is led by Parent-Carers but works with virtually every Barnet organisation said to be dealing with disability and care needs. pp4danBarnet aims to get Parent-Carers voices heard at the centre of all decision making and planning for our families.

pp4danBarnet always asks Barnet Parent-Carers to give their views and experiences about a subject which is then explored in terms of how best to ask for improvements and changes. This is why pp4danBarnet needs all Barnet Parent-Carers to get involved so they know their views count and are being heard.  As a strong organisation, acting as one, pp4danBarnet can and will make a difference.

pp4danBarnet:

• prepares reports of Parent-Carers anonymised views and experiences and presents them to the right people if certain areas need improving or existing work maintained; 
• seeks Parent-Carers advice on specialised equipment;
• asks Parent-Carers to form a Panel when organisations are interviewing for new staff that will be working with our families;
• is part of the Coalition for the new plans for Barnet's Centre for Independent Living which is for those affected by disability and additional needs aged 18+;
• holds regular meetings to discuss pp4danBarnet's progress and prepare future actions and training that will help shape our views on various aspects;
• places Parent-Carers representatives on committees that meet to make decisions and plan for our families futures; and
• does outreach work to ensure it includes all Parent-Carers.

pp4danBarnet has a Code of Conduct to ensure all present are comfortable at meetings and expects others to show the same respect we ask of our representatives. pp4danBarnet Representatives must not:

• shape individual care packages for their own children;
• develop the forum to pursue the resolution of problems or concerns regarding their own child; and
• develop involvement in only one service for disabled children to promote an individual, an individual group, or to use and manipulate pp4danBarnet to benefit themselves or the aims of another organisation.

pp4danBarnet has agreed to have an inner circle of members who have demonstrated they are working for the best interests of pp4danBarnet and who will make the initial decisions and action plans to deliver to the wider membership.