Local News: PCC News
Through Aiming High for Disabled Children, the Southwark PCC has been awarded the funds to develop this website and produce a newsletter (see latest newsletters). We are now looking forward to building a much bigger forum; developing links with ‘special interest’ groups, and channelling parent/carer opinion through the PCC to key decision-makers, commissioners and service providers.
We have elected a Chair, Vice-Chair and Treasurer, and have signed up ten parent/carer ‘reps’ (see About Us) who want to hear your views and represent them in discussions with the Local Authority/PCT.
New Parent/Carer Council Support Worker
Contact a Family Southwark recently appointed a part-time Parent/Carer Council Support Worker to work alongside Alison and the PCC. Rebecca (Becky) Skipwith joined us in November, and has taken on newsletter production and organisation of PCC events linked to the development of parent carer participation within the context of the Aiming High Programme. Alison will continue to field consultation requests and will endeavour to set up focus groups around specific service areas and co-ordinate consultation with other parent carer groups and networks. (see Meetings and Events).
Southwark's Aiming High for Disabled Children
As part of the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme, Community Action Southwark (CAS) is inviting groups and organisations working with disabled children and young people in Southwark to apply for small grants (Community Chest) to expand their activities or to pilot a scheme for this financial year (2010 – 2011).
Capital and Revenue grants are available: organisations can apply for both grants.
Capital grant for up to £5000: Capital grant can be used to make a service accessible for disabled children and young people through adapting buildings or facilities or purchasing equipment.
Revenue grant for up to £3500: Revenue grant can be used to pilot a short break activity or event(s) or to undertake a piece of service user consultation.
Applications must be received by Fri 2nd July 2010.
Late applications will not be considered.
The grant money must be spent by 31st March 2011
For more information or an application pack, please contact either Andy Boaden on 020 7358 4834 or Jamal Ettetuani on 020 7358 4825 or communitychest@casouthwark.org.uk
The first newsletter from the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme in Southwark is now out. Aiming High is a transformational programme with government funding for two years (2009-2011). Most of the funding has been put into improving short break opportunities for disabled children and their families.
The Southwark Council programme currently includes: Saturday morning sports club, disability football schemes, Orient Street short break summer scheme, National Autistic Society's dramatherapy classes, Charlie Chaplin Adventure Playground's summer scheme and weekend club, Sunday Club for children with ASD, the new Whippersnappers creative centre in Dulwich Park, a Personal Break Scheme and more. A Befriending and Mentoring Scheme is being set up for teenagers, too.
Click here to read the Aiming High newsletter
Glyn Newberry, Sports Development Officer (Disabilities), has some great news from the Aiming High funded disability youth football
programme . Southwark's youth disability football team, girls and boys
(mixed team coached in special needs schools and at club
level through Aiming High funding), entered the London Youth Games.
This is the largest youth sporting event in Europe and sees all 33
London boroughs competing in over 30 sports across a two month period. This includes 4 sports for people with a disability.
This year the boys team came first and the girls team came 11th. "This
is the first time that we have won either competition and really shows
how important the coaching in the schools and the club session has been," says Glynn.
National News
Family Fund: Changes to Grant Applications
As of 1 April 2010, the Family Fund altered its thresholds for grant applications and will now consider a grant application where a family's total income from all sources, including net earnings and benefits, is up to £25,000 in England and £27,000 in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Across the UK, the Family Fund makes £31 million of grants a
year to 53,000 low-income families with severely disabled children below age 18 for the things they need, such as washing machines and driers, computers, family holidays, driving lessons and hospital visiting costs.
For more info, go to: www.familyfund.org.uk or email: info@familyfund.org.uk
Changes in Carer’s Allowance rules
Since 12th April 2010, Carer’s Allowance, the only state benefit specifically aimed at carers, has been made available to a greater number of those who are working. Carer’s Allowance cannot be paid to a carer if they work and earn more than a set amount. The government has announced that this earnings limit will be raised from £95 to £100 after tax deductions - the first time it has been changed since 2007.
For working families caring for a disabled child, the Carer’s Allowance rules allow certain childcare costs to be deducted from earnings, so some may qualify even though they are earning slightly more than £100 per week. From April, Carer’s Allowance will also rise from £53.10 per week to £53.90.
Every Disabled Child Matters: Call for Coalition policies on disabled children
Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) campaign is calling for an early statement from the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government on its policies on disabled children.
EDCM has put together a review of the Lib-Dem and Conservative commitments to disabled children made in the lead-up to the Election, including the Conservative Party's 'Contract for Equalities' which prioritises "increasing the number of health visitors, simplifying the assessment process for accessing services; and making it easier for parents to access respite care"... and more.
To read more, go the EDCM website at: www.ncb.org.uk/edcm
Recent and Ongoing Consultations
Southwark Transition Guides for Parent Carers and Children and Young People with Disabilities
New transition guides are now ready for publication and are to complement a new and very detailed Resource Pack for professionals, which is available on request. The pack and guides are most relevant to parents and carers of children in years 9 and 10.
If you would like more information, please email the Children’s Transition Manager, Norbert.Cilia@southwark.gov.uk. For copies of the guides, please email: alison.miles@cafamily.org.uk.
Southwark's Strategy for Children & Young People (aka The Children and Young People's Plan 2010-2013)
The proposed Children and Young People’s Plan was developed with the involvement of those who have the biggest stake in the borough – children, young people, parents, carers and the childcare workforce. Over 1,000 contributed their views and following this consultation, five priority themes have been developed:
• Thinking family, • Narrowing the gap, • Raising the bar, • Succeeding into adulthood, • Working together to keep children safe.
For more info, go to: Young southwark or contact Young Southwark on 020 7525 3674 or email: young.southwark@southwark.gov.uk.
PlayBuilder Funding: Parks - new play designs
The PCC invited parent/carers to contribute ideas for park design at a consultation and fun family event on Saturday 28 November in Dulwich Park. The parks below have been earmarked for improvement, although we hope to see an increase in the range of play experiences available to children with disabilities across the borough.
Bermondsey: Tanner Street (Grange)
Borough and Bankside: Bittern Street (Cathedrals), Dickens Square (Chaucer), Newington Gardens (Chaucer)
Camberwell: Lucas Gardens (Brunswick Park)
Dulwich: Belair Park (Village), Halliwell Court (East Dulwich)
Nunhead & Peckham Rye: Goose Green (The Lane), Clifton Estate (The Lane), Peckham Rye Park (Peckham Rye)
Peckham: Leyton Square (Peckham)
Rotherhithe: Southwark Park (Rotherhithe), St Mary Frobisher Gardens (Rotherhithe), Pearson's Park (Surrey Docks)
Walworth: Nursery Row (East Walworth), Kinglake Playground (East Walworth), Salisbury Row Park (East Walworth)
Requests to Parent/Carers
Phab Youth Club: Questionnaire
Phab is a national network of clubs that provide inclusive leisure activities for young people of all abilities. They have been allocated a grant by Aiming High for Disabled Children to provide a Sunday youth club in Southwark, and would like the views of children and young people and their families on what the club should offer. The questionnaire provided by Phab is attached here. It needs to be returned to Janine Williams at Phab: contact details are included on the questionnaire. Download the questionnaire here. For more info on Phab, go to: www.phab.org.uk
Contact a Family questionnaire for Older Children's Services
Contact a Family Southwark have received money to develop support services for families of children over 12. Prithvi Perepa has been appointed as Older Children’s Services Development Officer to work with local providers and parents to design the new service and bring in funding. He has put together a questionnaire for families of older children to look at how parent carers see the future for their children, in terms of support, housing, employment/education etc. Questionnaires to be completed and returned to Prithvi by Friday 9 April will be entered into a draw to win a free London Eye ticket. Download questionnaire here.
Supporting Children with ASD in Mainstream Education
If you are interested in autism and transition to secondary school, Great Ormond Street Hospital are conducting a research project and are asking families and professionals to complete their online questionnaire, which will take about 15 minutes: www.ich.ucl.ac.uk/gosh/autism_and_education
The GOSH project says: "For a child with ASD, the move from primary to secondary school can be a very difficult change. Our aim is to help parents and professionals provide appropriate support during the transition." The research will be used to develop developing support packages for the transition process.
If you would like more information about the study contact:
interaction@ich.ucl.ac.uk or telephone on: 020 7905 2169.
A Good Place to Live
The Learning Disability Partnership Board has produced a draft easy-read Accommodation Strategy (2009-2013), that is yet to go to Speaking Up for comments (see http://www.speakingup.org). If you would like to view this and submit comments to the Board, please download the document here or contact Alison and she will email/post you a copy and collate comments to feed back to Penny West, Learning Disability Accommodation Project Manager.