Newsletter May 2023

Joanne Southall • June 19, 2023

On Friday 28th April at Down Syndrome Cheshire the PCF held their first informal coffee morning where parents and carers were able to catch up with other parents and speak to local organisations.

Thank you to Little Lungs, Cheshire Buddies, Mathew Southall (Children's Therapies-Health, OT, Physio, SALT), Disability Positive and Carers Trust.
 

At each of our events through the year we will have people from education, health and charities.

Pop along so you can ask them any questions about accessing their services.


We also attended SPACE coffee morning on Friday 19th May, with Kola North West, IASS, Live Cheshire and Steamtistic. It was great to meet new families. 


PCF Wednesday 24th May Forum

At our 'Mediation Services & Transition to Adulthood' forum we had presentations from a range of professionals. We had Suzie Franklin talking about mediation and how to access their services, we also had presentations from Annual Health Checks with Gill Tyler and Sean Donnelly, Paul Arista about Transition and Teresa King talking to us all about the Care Act. There was also time for the parents and carers who attended to speak to them during the coffee and lunch breaks and there was a lot of great sharing of experiences and information. Throughout the day, everyone got to attend the Market Place, which was a great opportunity for parents/carers to find out what they could access locally. We had Live! Cheshire, Livewell, Vivo, Derwen college, Pettypool college, Rooted & Booted, Danielle Ashley Activities Ltd IASS, CarersTrust. 

As always, the forum was a great opportunity for parent and carers to meet and share experiences and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone who came along.

Thank you to everyone who attended for all your feedback.


Click Here to View Slides from the May Forum

PCF reps continue to organise forums and focus groups to share your views and opinions. This month we had two successful online Transport Focus group were feedback was gathered from parents and carers about the issues they have had with transport over the past academic year. We would like to thank everyone who attended and for your feedback and we would like to invite you all to our online AGM meeting on Wednesday 5th July 10:30-12pm, where you can come along and discuss what you would like us to focus on for the next academic year.


Go to our EVENTS PAGE to book on our upcoming PCF events. 

Monthly Meetings
Our reps continued to attend our monthly meetings, these range from meeting with Information, Advice and Support Services to attending Special School heads meetings.

If there is anything you would like to raise with us about any issues or concerns, then please get in touch: 

contact.pcfcwac@gmail.com


For an update on Short breaks with Angela Lewis - Please CLICK HERE



After a successful Forum in May the PCF and School representatives will be meeting in person to discuss future planning and events for the next academic year. 

Our next upcoming event is our AGM. See What's On page.


Dates For Your Diary
All our Forum events are listed on the What's On page, with lots of information about each event.

You can book online.

WHAT'S ON PAGE

Register for our AGM


As we are now approaching the end of the academic year, schools and colleges are preparing for their 2024 intake. Here is a list of some of the planned college open days.

College Open Days

Endorphins - Activity Clubs


View the May 2023 Newsletter

SEND & Sensory workshops

For further information and to book a place, please contact
Yvonne Johnson 01606 606694/0777322617  
or email Cheshirewestcarersupport@makingspace.co.uk



Watch the Video


USEFUL CONTACTS....


Live Well Cheshire West - www.livewell.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Information Advice and Support Service (IASS) - Tel 0300 123 7001 

www.livewell.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/Services/1279 

SEN Team - Tel 0151 337 6505

senteam@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

Starting Well - 
www.startingwell.org.uk/

West Cheshire 0-16 CAMHS Tel - 01244 393200
www.cwp.nhs.uk/services-and-locations/services/west-cheshire-0-16-camhs/


IPSEA- Call-in Helpline Tel- 0300 22 5899
https://www.ipsea.org.uk/Pages/Category/service-overview

CONTACT Advice Line -Tel-0808 808 3555
https://contact.org.uk/ 


Click here for more...


Get Involved with the PCF.... 

 

We are always looking for new parents and carers to join us. You can attend meetings, give feedback to influence the services your child or young person uses or help us to identify the gaps in services. Also, a chance to meet other parents and learn about what's on offer in Cheshire West & Chester. 
 
email 
contact.pcfcwac@gmail.com
or join us for one of our meetings. We hope to see you soon!


Copyright © 2023 CWAC PCF, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is: 
contact.pcfcwac@gmail.com

CONTACT US
By Joanne Southall June 10, 2025
Coffee Events for parents & carers. Everyone is welcome! Parents will be able to catch up with other parents. Children are welcome!
Cheshire Neurodevelopmental Clinical Network - Update
By Lucy Kennerley June 10, 2025
Neurodevelopmental Support Resources West Cheshire Parent Carer Forum has worked with Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Autism service to coproduce a visual online noticeboard, known as a ‘padlet’.
Keep up to date on all events coming up and signposting to services and events in the area.
By Joanne Southall June 1, 2025
Keep up to date on all of the works we are involved in to ensure that your experiences are heard, events coming up and signposting to services and events in the area. Read our newsletter and our new BLOG area on our website.
National SEND/AP Leadership Programme led by the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTI).
By Lucy Kennerley May 28, 2025
National SEND/AP Leadership Programme led by the National Development Team for Inclusion (NDTI). We were proud to be the only Local Authority (LA) and Parent Carer Forum (PCF) team to take part together.
Koala North West’s Thriving Families programme
By Joanne Southall May 20, 2025
Koala North West’s Thriving Families programme offers one-to-one, tailored support for parents, carers, and children aged 0–19 (or up to 25 with SEND). Whether it's parenting guidance, mental well-being, or strengthening family relationships, we're here to assist you in a way that works best for you.
On May 14th, 2025, families, professionals, and local leaders came together at Ellesmere Port
By Joanne Southall May 20, 2025
On May 14th, 2025, families, professionals, and local leaders came together at the Holiday Inn, Ellesmere Port for our “Preparation for Adulthood” (PfA) event. This pivotal day focused on ensuring that young people with SEND have the right support, from the early teenage years through to adult life.
Invaluable financial know-how for your SEND family
By Joanne Southall May 20, 2025
Last week, we welcomed Rhiannon Gogh—carer, Chartered Financial Adviser, and founder of the Carers Academy—to lead a powerful webinar on financial planning for parent carers.
We made four clear recommendations off the back of the survey — and we’re proud to say we are well o
By Joanne Southall May 12, 2025
In May 2024, we published the results of our latest Parent Carer Survey — and what we heard was powerful. Families told us, once again, that the system is still not working for them. Communication, co-production, and access to timely support remain major challenges. But this time, something shifted.
PCF AGM 2025
By Joanne Southall May 1, 2025
To register for this event, please click below and we will send you a link nearer the time.
Endorphins April News - available to download and read.
By Joanne Southall May 1, 2025
Endorphins March News - available to download and read.
More Posts