About
Who are we?
The Gloucestershire Parent Carer forum is a Community Interest Company led by a board of Directors, all of whom are parent carers. The forum works to support families who care for children with a disability, physical or mental health condition or learning difference.
We are supported in our work by a dedicated committee of parent carer volunteers who generally meet once a month to plan the forum’s next projects and reflect on current work.
If you would like to support the forum by joining our committee please get in touch via email
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We empower parent carers and make sure their voice is heard. Every family can embrace their journey and make an impact.
What do we do?
We provide a platform for parents and carers to share their experiences, offer peer support, and influence local and national policy-making. We also want to reduce the isolation that many families experience​
Through parent participation, we work with the local authority, health service, and educational institutions to ensure that the voices of families are heard and that services are tailored to meet the needs of children with SEND.​
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What is parent participation?
Parent carers are in a good position to identify issues regularly experienced by families with disabled children (including those with any kind of physical, learning or sensory impairment, disability, additional need, long term health condition or SEND).
Sharing this knowledge with professionals as they plan services to meet disabled children’s needs is a valuable way for Parent Carers to participate in the development of better services and support.
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Parent Carer participation occurs when parents and professionals work together, recognising each other’s expert knowledge, to design, develop and improve services for disabled children in the local area.
"This has been an absolute Godsend, being able to talk to other parents and not bottle things up"
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Parent Carer, Listen to Me session.