Category: NNPCF

Categories
NNPCF NNPCF Management Team NNPCF work

Jo Gilliland to step down from NNPCF steering group to take up new role with NHS

Please join us in congratulating Jo Gilliland, our North East Steering Group member on being offered a new role working across the North East & North Cumbria Integrated Care System.  Jo will be strategic lead for the keyworking project in the North East and North Cumbria. This means Jo will continue to be at the heart of developing services for children and young people with SEND and builds on the work that she did with both the NNPCF and in her previous role within the NHS.

We will be sorry to see Jo leaving but we are always pleased when colleagues are able to build on their experience and further their careers outside the organisation, especially when they retain links with the SEND world.

Following her announcement Jo said, “Being part of the Parent Carer Forum network, locally, regionally & nationally has been an amazing experience, I have worked with some remarkable people and forged some incredible working relationships and friendships.  I hope to continue to watch the NNPCF & all PCF’s grow & continue their vital work for families, I am lucky enough that my new role will enable me to continue to work with the inspirational PCF’s in my region”

We will be starting the process to replace Jo over the next few weeks.

If you are interested in the role, you must be an active member of your forum in the North East region.

You can find the job description and application forms below:

NNPCF Job description- regional steering group member 09/2021

NNPCF Steering Group Application form

The deadline for applications is 31 October 2022

Interviews will take place the week commencing 7 November 2022

Categories
NNPCF NNPCF Management Team

Welcome to our new Policy and Consultations Lead Claire Fisher and fond farewell to Kay Moore

We are delighted to welcome Claire Fisher to the NNPCF management team. Claire joins as our new Policy and Consultations lead and will lead on our work to make sure that all the feedback from our membership is reflected in the representations that NNPCF make to regional and national government and NHS. This includes formal responses to consultations and out talking points.

Claire joins us with a strong background in Children’s policy and research including a masters degree in SEND education and has been chair of governors of a local school.

Claire replaces Kay Moore who has been a stalwart of the NNPCF for the last 10 years. Before being our Policy and Consultations lead, Kay was a member of the NNPCF steering group. Kay is leaving to take on a senior role in SEND at a local authority.

NNPCF Co-chairs Tina Emery and Mrunal Sisodia said, “We are really excited to welcome Claire to the NNPCF management team. Her passion, knowledge and experience shone through in her application, and we know that she will help us lead the NNPCF through the policy challenges that children and young people with SEND face over the coming years.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Kay for everything she has done for the NNPCF. She has been hugely important in the growth and development of the NNPCF and her work as policy lead has transformed the way in which the NNPCF represents families with SEND at a national and regional level. We will miss her warmth and compassion and wish her all the best in her new role.”

On her appointment, Claire said, “I am delighted to have been given this opportunity to join the NPPCF in representing the collective lived experience of parents. I am passionate about co-production, and I look forward to working with parents and professionals to make a difference for families around the country”

On leaving the team, Kay said, ”After working for the NNPCF for many years, firstly as the steering group member for the London Region and more recently as the Policy Lead it is now time for me to pass the baton on.  It has been a real privilege to be part of the NNPCF and I can honestly say I have loved every minute!  I wish you all the very best as the NNPCF continues to develop as an organisation.  You are all truly amazing.  Keep up the good work!!  

Categories
NNPCF NNPCF Steering Group Parent Carer Forums

New Steering Group member for London

We are pleased to announce that Claire Richmond from the Richmond parent carer forum has been appointed to replace outgoing NNPCF board member Fazilla Amide.

Claire has worked successfully to establish the Richmond forum after a difficult period over the last few years and brings experience of building relationships, reaching consensus, and working across other local London boroughs to the role. Her background as a musician highlights her attention to detail and working as a team.

Of her appointment Claire said, “I’m delighted to be offered this opportunity to work with the NNPCF to support the amazing work of Parent Carer Forums in the London region.   The strength, commitment and resilience of this network has been an inspiration to me during my 3 years of running a local forum and I’m looking forward to promoting those voices to inform policy and decision making at a national level”

NNPCF co-chairs Tina Emery and Mrunal Sisodia said, “We are delighted to be welcoming Claire to the NNPCF board. Her application, her interview and her references all highlighted the very obvious strengths that she will bring to the team, and we are confident that she will do an excellent job representing the London region.”

At the same time, we are incredibly sad to be saying goodbye to Fazilla Amide who steps down from her role as NNPCF board member for London to go onto devote more time to her family and her important role at NHSE.

Fazilla Amide said, ”It’s genuinely been an absolute honour to be part of the NNPCF at a local, regional and national level.  The national and regional teams are so passionate to move our agenda forwards, it’s reassuring we are in such good hands! We’ve been on such a long journey and in this new economic environment, the focus and dedication of all our forums and individual parent/carers members is needed, more so than ever before. So, it’s not goodbye but “see you in a different guise!” I will continue our work within the NHS to raise the profile, our challenges, as well as the collaborative, creative and solution-focused nature of parent carers. I would also call on the DfE and the DHSC to review the sustainability and funding model for forums which is very much needed. 

I wish you all the best and also welcome Claire to her new role; Claire, you will be fab!”

NNPCF cochairs Mrunal Sisodia and Tina Emery stated, “Fazilla has been instrumental in the development of the NNPCF over the last few years. Her stamp is on every aspect of the organisation – the challenge she brought, the clear thinking and most importantly the rock solid values of championing SEND families in everything we do. This is without mentioning Fazilla’s professional skills which were so important as set up as a community interest company. She will be sorely missed but she goes with our best wishes and pride in another NNPCF alumni taking an important role in the world of SEND.”

Categories
Department for Education NNPCF SEND Review

Department for Education update

New Minister with responsibilities for SEND announced

The new government continues to formalise ministerial responsibilities and last week, Kelly Tolhurst was announced as the new Minister for Schools and Childhood with responsibility for SEND. Minister Tolhurst is the second most senior minister in the Department for Education behind the Secretary of State Kit Malthouse.

NNPCF co-chairs Tina Emery and Mrunal Sisodia have written to Minister Tolhurst to introduce the NNPCF and ask for a meeting.

What next for the SEND Green Paper

The consultation period for the SEND and AP Green Paper closed before the summer holidays (22 July 2022). The DfE received several thousand responses, many of which came from parent carer forums and individual parent carers. DfE also held 175 engagement events many of which were hosted by or involved parent carer forums.

There were also responses from local authorities, schools (mainstream, special and AP) and health providers amongst others.

The NNPCF have attended several meetings with DfE officials over the last few weeks to discuss the next steps on the green paper and we continue to have input into the next stages of the proposals. Key points from these conversations include:

The DfE will publish a response to the green paper consultation in a National SEND and AP Improvement Plan by the end of the calendar year. This will set out government’s response to the consultation, and the next steps for delivering these reforms.

We have engaged in conversations about the formulation of national standards.

Whilst the contents of these discussions remain confidential, we can share that we have continued to make the following points.

  • National standards must drive and enable early intervention, particularly for those children and young people that do not have an EHCP Standards should be based on the holistic needs of the child and young person, not on diagnoses or conditions
  • Standards should be based on the holistic needs of the child and young person, not on diagnoses or conditions
  • There needs to be a strong link between standards used by practitioners when supporting individual families and standards that are used when planning, designing, and commissioning services.
  • Coproduction must be the core principle throughout all standards

The SEND and AP Green Paper and its progress remain a high priority for the NNPCF and we will continue to keep you updated on progress.

However, we are also very clear that our children and young people cannot wait for new legislation and reforms to improve services- there also need to be programmes of work targeted at improving services now. We are also working with the Department for Education and NHSE to focus on these areas.

We will update you on these over the coming weeks.

Categories
NNPCF

Statement from NNPCF

We, the National Network of Parent Carer Forums wish to extend our sincere condolences to the Royal family on the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at this extremely sad time.

Her selfless duty and dedication to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth will never be forgotten.

Her legacy will continue to serve as an example to our own parent carer forums around the country.

We understand that the sad passing of Her Majesty the Queen will affect our families differently.

It may be a tough time, especially for some of our children who might find it difficult to understand.

The following links could be useful when explaining the Queen’s passing:

https://www.autism.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/coping-with-the-passing-of-the-queen

Supporting children and young people on the death of Queen Elizabeth II (childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk)

Talking to children about grief – Cruse Bereavement Support

https://www.place2be.org.uk/about-us/news-and-blogs/2022/september/supporting-your-child-when-someone-famous-dies/