Southwark PCC News
Through Aiming High for Disabled Children, the Southwark PCC was awarded funds to develop this website and produce a newsletter (Read latest newsletter). We have been building up our parent carer forum; developing links with ‘special interest’ groups, and trying to channel parent/carer opinion through the PCC to key decision-makers, commissioners and service providers.
Since April 2011, we have had no further funding and we are currently establishing a charitable constitution for the group, and working out ways to sustain the PCC's activities in representing parent carers of children with additional needs in the borough. We will soon apply for a grant from the DfE for parent carer forums for 2011-2012.
We’re always on the look out for parents who can contribute in some way and are fortunate enough to have on board parents, who are willing and able to volunteer some time to, e.g., website administration, designing and setting up a parent carer database, and writing articles for the PCC newsletter.
We are supported by a National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF), comprising parent carer volunteers from across England. The NNPCF’s new website is now up and running. Please take a look. http://www.nnpcf.org.uk/
To attend one of our meetings, see PCC Meetings and Events.
Latest News
On 19th October 2011 three members of the PCC were among a number of people giving evidence to the Education and Children's Services Scrutiny Sub Committee. This Sub Committee is part of the Council's way of checking how well its services are performing and is made up of a cross section of local elected councillors and members of the public.
The Committee considered the support needs of parent carers. Naomi Gilbert from Contact a Family gave evidence to the Committee, as did PCC members Alison Miles and Heather Tarbuck who were able to use the information the PCC has collected from its meetings and discussions with other parents over a number of years. Another PCC member Dorah Naisubi was also able to speak very powerfully about her own experiences as a parent of a disabled young man and the challenges this brings.
The Committee will publish its findings in due course and we will let you know what they say. In the meantime you may still submit evidence to the committee via Julie Timbrell at:julie.timbrell@southwark.gov.gov
RECENT CONSULTATION
Short Breaks Consultation for Parent Carers
Southwark Parent Carers’ Council invited parents to participate in one of two consultation sessions, focusing on short breaks services for disabled children, young people and their families.
This is because the local authority Southwark Council must develop a local service offer and commissioning plan that is based on what families think works well. And which helps the local authority meet a new legal duty to provide carers with short breaks from caring. This means improving access to social care services, as well as universal services, so everyone’s view counts. The consultations took place on Thursday 15 September.
SEN Green Paper - responses now closed.
The government's consultation on its SEN Green Paper. Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability is now closed. The PCC addressed the questions in the consultation - read more in our latest newsletter.
And watch this space for further developments. To download a copy of the Green Paper please click on the link below:
http://www.education.gov.uk/publications/standard/publicationDetail/Page1/CM%208027
It is a very long document so you can read Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM)’s initial thoughts on the paper here:
http://www.ncb.org.uk/edcm/campaigns_and_policy/sen_and_disability_green_paper.aspx
Childcare Sufficiency Assessment 2010-2011
The Childcare Act (2006) requires that all local authorities in England have sufficient childcare for working parents, parents studying or training, and for disabled children, within their borough.
A total of 91 parent carers took part in the Childcare Sufficiency Assessment (CSA) undertaken by Southwark Council via a series of in-depth focus group discussions as well as telephone interviews.
The draft copy of the report can be found at:
http://www.southwark.gov.uk/downloads/ download/2696/childcare_sufficiency_assessment
Southwarks SEN School Transport Policy
In March 2011 the Local Authority (LA) launched a consultation process with parents and users over its plans to revamp its SEN school transport policy, formally known as the School Travel Assistance Policy. The changes being sought have been met by some parental scepticism that they're essentially about cost-savings.
The consultation process with parents threw up some recurring themes, notably whether the changes to its existing policy would affect the following:
After school transport provision. The lack of provision limits a young person's access to after school activities.
A child’s school placement. The LA's preference for a local school was linked to the high out-of-borough transport costs.
Pick-up points and risk assessment. Concerns were expressed about a move towards more collective pick-up points and parents felt that there should be a risk assessment of each pick-up point for each child.
Independent travel training. Some parents were alarmed that this could replace existing travel arrangements and felt it should be provided as a core life-skill, but not as a substitute option in a school transport policy, not least for safety reasons.
Transport assistance to those on higher rate mobility allowance. Some parents were concerned that the LA would deny transport assistance to parents who were in receipt of higher rate mobility allowance for their child.
The LA’s revised new School Travel Assistance Policy should be made public on Southwark Council’s website in July. Do not hesitate to speak up if you are concerned about how they will affect your child’s existing arrangements.
Gün Akyuz, PCC forum member
You can read Gün's full account here
Balancing Paid Work with Caring Responsibilities - Meeting with Eamonn Fetton from Working Families – 18 May 2011
Working Families is a well established charity specialising in supporting parents and carers in balancing paid work and caring responsibilities - it has a special project for families with disabled children called Waving not Drowning. It provides information and advice to a network on 2,000 parents and carers and wants to extend its work to parent groups across the UK.
The PCC invited Eamonn Fetton, Project Manager, to meet with parent carers on Wednesday 18 May, with a view to learning more about Working Families, and the support it offers parents and carers, and to discussing with Eamonn the many issues we face in trying to balance paid work with caring responsibilities. To find out more about Working Families, go to: http://www.workingfamilies.org.uk
School Admissions Survey
Southwark Council have just undertaken a review of schools admissions and support for parents and carers, with a questionnaire. This is now closed and we are awaiting the results of the survey. Some of the PCC members met members of the council's Scrutiny Committee on 10 May and discussed schools admissions for students with SEN.
Cuts to Southwark's SEN Sports – How will these affect you and your family?
Southwark's School Sports Partnership has been severely downsized by cuts and now has just two workers, run by Glyn Davies. Glyn has given us an update on the SEN sports programme for 2012:
• Some festivals through the year with the first one in late January/early February.
• SEN secondary school football league at Bacons starting in January .
• Primary (KS2) football league at Bacons to start in Feb/March.
• Various initiatives with partners such as panathlon, cricket for change.
• Limited in-school support including PE lesson support or sessions with just SEN students. There are also schemes of work available.
• Funding for the Saturday morning sports club at Spa School. This year there is also funding for a Sunday morning club as well.
The Southwark Physiotherapy department at Sunshine House was not able to run its annual sports camp last summer.
Other Cuts in Services
Do you receive a care package for your child? Has this been reduced? What impact has this had on your ability to care for your child, or take a break from your regular caring responsibilities?
Have other services been reduced or withdrawn altogether? How is this impacting on your child, your family, or your ability to cope?
The PCC would like to hear from parent carers in an attempt to measure the impact of cuts on vulnerable families. Again, contact us on info@southwarkpcc.org.uk
New Contact a Family survey - how involved is your GP in your child’s healthcare?
Under new proposals to change the NHS, GPs in England will be given greater power and budgets to buy in health services for their local area.
Contact a Family wanted to find out how involved GPs are in the healthcare of disabled children and their families and recently ran a survey to all families with disabled children in the UK. They will use the results of the survey for campaigning purposes to ensure families with disabled children are at the forefront of decision making in changes to healthcare.
Protection of DLA for under 16’s
The Government has made clear that reforms to DLA will not be extended to children under 16 without public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. The Department of Work and Pensions has this week published its response to the consultation on replacing Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with Personal Independence Payments, which confirms:
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) will not be extended to disabled children (under 16) in 2013/14. The Government will only look at transferring children onto PIP when they can ‘demonstrate it provides a fairer, more objective and more transparent alternative to the current arrangements’.
The Government recognises that a specific assessment should be developed to ensure that the needs of children with long-term health conditions or impairments are properly considered.
That under 16s will not be moved onto PIP without a public consultation and any decisions made will be subject to parliamentary scrutiny
The £1billion cut in spending on DLA will not apply to under 16s.
National News
There is currently a national consultation on Disability Living Allowance, which will be replaced by a new benefit called Personal Independence Payment. Please put your views to the government at: www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2010/dla-reform.shtml
The Council for Disabled Children has commissioned a report by a leading barrister detailing the central legal duties in relation to disabled children and their families with which public bodies must comply, despite cuts. Read this important report here: http://www.ncb.org.uk/cdc/Cemented_to_the_floor_by_law.pdf
Funding/Grants
Southwark Carers Grant Schemes
Fix-Yourself-A-Break (FYAB)
The FYAB scheme, run by Southwark Carers, helps people take a break from caring by providing financial assistance to carers who meet its eligibility criteria. The payment (between £100 and £250) can be used for any expenses relating to going on holiday or taking a respite break. Not means-tested.
Fix-Yourself-a-Ride (FYAR)
The FYAR scheme provides £50 towards the cost of transport fees (Oyster card, taxis, petrol, train, bus or tube fares) to help with hospital appointments.
For more information, tel: 020 7708 4497 and ask for Rob Danavell or go to: www.southwarkcarers.org.uk/for-carers/grant-schemes/
Family Fund: Changes to Grant Applications
As of 16 August 2010, the Family Fund will now consider a grant application where a family's total income from all sources, including net earnings and benefits, is up to £28,000 in England, Scotland, N Ireland 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
Every Disabled Child Matters campaigns
Every Disabled Child Matters (EDCM) campaigns the government on its policies on disabled children. It is currently asking you to email your local authority on how it will spend the (unringfenced) funding for short breaks from central government next year. Following successful campaigning by EDCM supporters, the Government announced that they will be giving local authorities £800million over four years to fund short breaks for disabled children.
EDCM is also asking for Your Story about how cuts are affecting or will affect your family.
To read more EDCM news, sign petitions and join EDCM campaigns or receive their newsletter, go the EDCM website at: www.ncb.org.uk/edcm
Past Consultations
Southwark Transition Guides for Parent Carers and Children and Young People with Disabilities
New transition guides are available 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 last year 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
Contact a Family questionnaire for Older Children's Services
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
Southwark's Aiming High for Disabled Children
Aiming High for Disabled Children was a transformational programme with government funding for two years (2009-2011). Most funding was to improve 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 (opens 2 April 2011), a Personal Break Scheme run by Southwark Carers and a Befriending and Mentoring Scheme for teenagers by the Salmon Youth Centre.
Click here to read the first Aiming High newsletter
Click here to read the second Aiming High Newsletter