Northumberland’s Parent Participation Network has been awarded a grant of £15,000 to encourage the wider participation of parents and carers of children who have special needs and disabilities.
In It Together is an independent group of those who care for young people with a wide range of disabilities and special needs who come together regularly to talk about the types of services their families need in the county.
It has been awarded the money by the Department for Education to provide information and training opportunities for its members and encourage other parents and carers to join up.
This is particularly timely as The Children and Families Act 2014 will see a new Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs come into effect this September and this will change the way services are delivered in the future.
Elizabeth Richardson, a parent representative from In It Together, said “The grant funding is an enormous boost for us.
“There will be a lot of changes to the way that services for children and young people are delivered in the future and we want to keep parents fully informed and involved with the reforms outlined in the Act.”
Northumberland County Council is currently working with the group to run a series of information and consultation events across the county.
The group also runs its own events and provides information about other events relevant to its members.
For more information about In It Together, including details of how parents can join and become involved, please visit its website – www.in-it-together.org.uk