WPCC Volunteer Recruitment - November 2021

Volunteering with the Wiltshire Parent Carer Council

Some Background Thank you for showing an interest in volunteering some time to support the participation and coproduction work of the WPCC. We hope the information in this pack is helpful.

What is a Parent Carer The WPCC uses the term parent carer to mean anyone over the age of 18 who provides care to a child or young person with SEND for whom they have some parental responsibility. This does not have to be a parent but could include a relative with caring responsibilities, a foster parent or adoptive parent for example.

What is Participation and Coproduction?

Parent carer participation and coproduction 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 way parent carers work with professionals is by forming groups called parent carer forums. Parent carer forums are keen to hear from as many parent carers as possible and with over 3,000 registered parent carers, the WPCC is one of the largest parent carer forums in the country.

Participation and Coproduction at a National Level As a parent carer forum, the WPCC belongs to the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF). The NNPCF ensures that local parent carer forums are aware of national developments and promotes opportunities for the voice of parent carers to influence at a national level. By working with the NNPCF, parent carer forums are able to work together and work closely with the Department for Education, the Department of Health, and other partner organisations to improve outcomes for children and young people with disabilities or additional needs and their families at a national level.

WPCC’s Volunteering Opportunities

The WPCC is excited to be able to recruit new volunteer parent carer representatives to take a lead in the following areas:-

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Transitions and Whole Life Pathway

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Promoting and Raising Awareness of the WPCC

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New SEND Decision Making Panels

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Delivering SEND Awareness Training in Schools and Setting

Transitions and Whole Life Pathway WPCC’s Transitions and Post 16 Team Lead would welcome the support of 1 or 2 parent carers to help her in work that is taking place around the transitions and post 16 agenda. This is an exciting time for the WPCC as we are working with the local authority to inform the development of a single social care pathway for children, young people and adults with disabilities. As a member of the WPCC Transitions and Post 16 Team, you will have an opportunity to participate in meetings and work with commissioners to help inform much of the work related to moving to adulthood.

Promoting and Raising Awareness of the WPCC Although we have over 3,000 parent carers registered with the WPCC, we are very aware that there are still families of children and young people with SEND who have not heard of the WPCC. Supported by a team of parent carer reps, your role would be to attend coffee mornings etc. to spread the word and help more parent carers know about the WPCC and the support and opportunities we can offer.

New SEND Decision Making Panels In April 2021, the WPCC in partnership with Wiltshire Council facilitated sessions for parent carers to explore how the process for requesting Education, Health and Care (EHC) Needs Assessments could be improved and simplified for parent carers.

As a result of all the work with parent carers, new digital forms and paperwork for requesting an EHC needs assessment are being produced. The SEND Service is changing how it considers requests for an EHCP. Wiltshire Council is in the early stages of working with the WPCC to develop a parent moderation role, so that parent carers can play an important role in how the decision-making processes in place are quality assured.

This is where you would come in…

Wiltshire Council is changing from having one ‘SEN panel’ to having a series of ‘Discussion and Decision Groups’ (DaD Groups). This will not only make things clearer regarding what the groups are about, but also ensure that each group can focus on a smaller number of cases relevant to the type of decision being made. There will also be focused representation from appropriate professionals and services and a moderation process that will include trained parent carer moderators. As a parent carer moderator, you will sit on some of the DaD Groups to help ensure the process is more transparent, robust and quality assured.

Delivering SEND Awareness Training in Schools and Settings As part of our new volunteer SEND Awareness Training Team, you will help the WPCC to develop an SEND awareness training module that can be delivered in schools and other settings by the new WPCC volunteer SEND Awareness Training Team. In response to feedback from parent carers, we aim to begin by developing an autism awareness module for delivery in schools and other settings. As a member of this new team, you will be an expert by experience and play a vital role in supporting staff in our schools and other settings to develop and improve their understanding of the needs of children and young people with ASC.

We hope the information in this pack has given a little more information about the current WPCC volunteering opportunities.

If you are interested in finding out more about volunteering for any of these roles, including what would be expected of you and what the WPCC can do to support you, we invite you to join us for our Volunteer Recruitment session on Monday 15th November, at Braeside Education Centre, Devizes, SN10 2AP from 10am to 2pm.

The day will include an opportunity to learn more about the roles and opportunities, induction and support, and there will be activities to participate in.

The WPCC will pay your travel and 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 any of these opportunities 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.

***3 lucky attendees will each win a £50 voucher*** If you are interested in joining us on 15th November, please let us know by completing the BOOKING FORM: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WPCCVounteerNov21.

Bookings for this event will close at 5pm on Thursday 11th November 2021.