Supporting parent carers in Gateshead

Gateshead Parent Carer Forum is an organised volunteer group of parents and carers of disabled children and young people who have a variety of special educational needs and disabilities living across the Gateshead borough.

Our aim is to support parents and carers of children and young people with SEND in our community, we do that by coming together in a relaxed atmosphere, having a drop in coffee morning, information sessions with invited speakers and training events.

What is a parent carer forum anyway?

A video from the charity Contact explaining what Parent Carer Forums are what we aim to do.

Who are we?

We are a group of parents, carers and grandparents of children with Special Education Needs and/or disabilities.

Who do we work for?

No-one! We represent parent/carers, but are entirely independent of any statutory organisation and we are all volunteers.

Are we paid by the local council?

No, we are funded by the Department for Education.

Are we just another support group?

No, we are a participation group, but we will try and signpost you to a support group.

Are we a campaign group?

No, but we acknowledge the important role that campaign groups have in helping to get parent voice heard. At the forum we are happy to work with campaign groups by providing them information and feeding back the issues they raise.

So, what do we do then?

We promote parent voice through participation and co-production. Co-production is parents and professionals working jointly together to develop, decide, design and do equal partners. Participation is Parents and Professionals working in groups to decided what should happen and to shape services. We sit on working groups with statutory organisations. We also run coffee mornings and events to allow opportunities for families to get together, see what help and support is out there, and feedback their experiences. The forum also provides information and training for families.

What can I do, I'm 'just' a mam/dad/grandparent!

You are an expert in your child and know what they need. Join us at our events and coffee mornings to add your voice and experiences. There may also be further chance to be more involved, contact us to find out more.