A VOICE FOR PARENT CARERS

“Gloucestershire Parent Carer Forum is a voice for those with lived experience of being a Parent Carer (This means parents and/or carers of children with any disability, SEN, condition, impairment or additional need).  We can create a bridge to the providers of statutory services to help build better services for all families of disabled children in Gloucestershire.”

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SEND FAIR 2025

 
We’re excited to welcome you to our SEND Fair 2025.
 
***** Book your tickets NOW! *****
Bookings are now open for tickets to our SEND Information fair! Please book your tickets on Eventbrite:
Please feel free to share widely – we look forward to seeing you there!

Families in Partnership

The Parent Carer Forum has partnered with Gloucestershire County Council to share this key information leaflet for Parent Carers.

If you have any questions or concerns please get in touch with us so we can pass these on.  We are engaging in weekly Q and A sessions with GCC and the CCG to provide up to date information and guidance.

You can email us:   [email protected]

or contact us via our Facebook Page or the Forum Discussion Group

The best way to be kept up to date and to help get the voice of Parent Carers heard is join the forum as a member. Click below to join the forum (membership is free)

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Public Consultation on New Special School
Many of you will be aware of Gloucestershire County Council Plans for a new Special School in Abbeydale. You may have attended some of the public events held to meet the Academy Trust appointed to run the school or to review the plans.
 
The next stage of the process is the planning application, and this is now live. You can see it here. https://planning.gloucestershire.gov.uk/…/applicationDe…
 
Provision of a new 200 pupil place SEN school (MALD), including outdoor informal play, car parking and infrastructure. Land Adjacent To The Wheatridge East Gloucester Gloucestershire
 
This is your opportunity to review the plans and information and to see any comments already made. To leave a comment you will be asked to provide your email address, but this will not be visible to anyone but the planning officer.
 
If you want to look back at information that has been shared previously you can find plans and frequently asked questions here http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/new-special-school…
 
The Families in Partnership Newsletter which introduced the new trust can be found here http://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/…/a-new-special…/
 
You will only be able to comment on the application through the planning portal.

WHAT WE DO?

a group of mums sit round tables in a cafe, chatting.

SOCIAL MEET UPS

Join other parent carers for friendly meet ups, share you views, make new friends, and get support and information.

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BECOME A MEMBER

Receive regular newsletters, join our online chat group, find out about other services.
Membership is free

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a group of parents sit round a table listening to a presentation, one lady is in a wheelchair, a child is standing by one mum

STRATEGIC PARTNER FOR BETTER SERVICES

Add your voice to our work to improve services for all children with additional needs, SEN and disabilities in Gloucestershire.

What is parent participation?

Parent carers are in a good position to identify issues regularly experienced by families with disabled children (including those with any kind of physical, learning or sensory impairment, disability, additional need, long term health condition or SEND). Sharing this knowledge with professionals as they plan services to meet disabled children’s needs is a valuable way for Parent Carers to participate in the development of better services and support.

Parent Carer participation occurs when parents and professionals work together, recognising each other’s expert knowledge, to design, develop and improve services for disabled children in the local area.

graphic representing the coproduction ladder

ABOUT US

The forum is led by a committee of parent carer volunteers who will work to ensure parent participation is supported and facilitated across services in the county.  If you would like to support the forum by joining our committee please get in touch via email.  The committee will generally meet once a month to plan the forum’s next projects and reflect on current work.  We are a Community Interest Company with a board of Directors, all of whom are parent carers.  The forum does not share Parent Carer details with other organisations,  you will only be contacted by the forum using the details you provide when you register.

email: [email protected] to find out more.