Wiltshire Parent Carer Council Steering Group Vacancies November 2022 Thank you for your interest in volunteering to be a part of the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council (WPCC) Steering Group. We’d love to tell you more about the role and the organisation in person. If you’d like to join us at Trowbridge Town Hall on 21st November 2022, from 10am to 2pm, please book a place here www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SteeringGroup2022. At this session, you will be able to speak to current members of the Steering Group, hear more about the role and learn more about the work of the WPCC, and there will be activities to participate in. The WPCC will pay your travel, car parking and any childcare expenses incurred by attending this session, and we will provide a free lunch and refreshments. There will be no expectation on you to commit to volunteering for this opportunity if you decide it is not for you after attending the session, we would really love you to join us even if you decide it’s not for you.
Below you will find a little more information about the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council
What is a Parent Carer? The WPCC uses the term parent carer to mean anyone over 18 who provides care to a child or young person with Special Educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) for whom they have some parental responsibility. This does not have to be a parent, and could include a relative with caring responsibilities, a foster parent or adoptive parent for example. A child or young person has special educational needs and disabilities if they have a learning difficulty and/or disability that means they need special health and education support. They may or may not have a formal diagnosis, and SEND support can relate to a wide range of needs such as physical, sensory, learning, behaviour, social, emotional, mental health, communication, complex health needs, rare or undiagnosed conditions, amongst others.
What is the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council and what does it do? The Wiltshire Parent Carer Council (WPCC) is an independent organisation which is managed and run by parent carers, for parent carers. It seeks to enable the voice and experiences of parent carers to positively influence the services that their children and families use. The WPCC carries out this work by providing a forum to hear from as many parent carers across Wiltshire as possible. With well over 3,000 registered parent carers, it is one of the largest parent carer forums in the country. The WPCC gathers thoughts and feedback from parent carers through a range of events, consultations, focus groups, surveys, and projects, which take place in person and online. The WPCC represents the shared interests of parent carers to a range of different organisations and services. This work forms the core of the specialist consultation and participation service provided by the WPCC, which gives parent carers the opportunity to positively influence and shape provision across the local area, and work in partnership with the people who commission and deliver SEND services. Key to all the work of the WPCC is parent carer participation and coproduction. This is when parents and professionals work together, recognising and respecting each other's expert knowledge, to design, develop and improve services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities (SEND) in the local area. The WPCC also runs the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Information Service (SENDIS). SENDIS is a specialist information and signposting service to support parent carers, and those working with them. The SENDIS team provide information via a telephone helpline, outreach service, website, events, newsletters and its Short Breaks bulletin.
What does the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council Steering Group do? The WPCC Steering Group oversees the work of the WPCC as an organisation and informs its strategic direction. Steering Group meetings take place six times a year (term time only and between the hours of 10am and 2pm), alongside Away Days and focussed sessions to support specific areas of strategic work. To facilitate this level of involvement, out of pocket expenses such as travel and childcare costs will be paid.
Thank you for looking through this document. We hope to meet you in person on Monday 21st November at Trowbridge Town Hall.
If you are interested in joining us, please let us know by booking a place here: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/SteeringGroup2022
Bookings for this event will close at 5pm on Sunday 13th November 2022