pacc round up October 2023

Welcome to PaCC’s October round up.

We know this time of year is incredibly difficult for parent carers, with children returning to education (or having no education to return to) and the burnout some parent carers may be feeling from the lack of respite they received over the summer holidays. PaCC continues to address the difficulties families are facing, as well as highlighting the areas that are going well. Any feedback about your experiences in these areas would be most welcome and will help to inform the discussions we have with the council, health departments and others we work with. Please email any feedback to: [email protected].

Dates For Your Diary

PaCC have added a ‘Dates For Your Diary’ section on the homepage of our website, so you can be aware of events with plenty of notice. Other than social media, are there other ways we could keep you informed of events? Texts and/or emails? Let us know what would work for you.

Whilst I’m writing about dates, I just want to make you aware of a PaCConnect event on Monday 16 November, which is focused on ‘Transition to Adulthood‘. PaCConnects give parent carers the opportunity to share their experiences not only with PaCC but with representatives from the council and health. More details will be released nearer the time about this event.

We’ve Recruited a Dad’s Group PaCC Rep!

Amaze’s Dads’ Group is PaCC’s newest partner group and we have just recruited a representative for them on the PaCC Steering Group. It’s great to have Sim join us and he will be a real asset. Read more about Sim, the new PaCC Steering Group Representative for fathers.

Become More Involved with PaCC’s Work

PaCC is advertising for parent carers to express an interest in becoming one of our ‘community expert reader/commentators’ – who we will pay to comment on draft documents such as leaflets, letters and guidances. Find out how you become more involved with PaCC, here.

Early Years in Brighton & Hove

Before the summer holidays, Leila (PaCC’s participation worker) spent some time interviewing parent carers on a 1:1 basis around their early years experiences. You can find more information from Leila and read PaCC’s report here.

How PaCC Have Been Representing You

PaCC has been busy since our last update representing parent carers in the various workstreams we’re involved in and the meetings we attend. As well as attending regular meetings, PaCC has:

• Taken part in a session to plan the development of a preparation for adulthood (PfA) pathway for Brighton & Hove, as well as joining a steering group focussing on the adult part of this new pathway
• Attended workshops linked to the Sussex wide all age neurodevelopmental pathway workstream
• Been involved in the recruitment of staff for the new keyworker service 
• Attended workshops as part of the development of an Inclusion Charter for schools in Brighton & Hove
• Joined a task and finish group that will be creating an emotional based school avoidance (EBSA) toolkit for the city
• Coproduced Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) Triage Guidance for schools
• Provided feedback about the existing Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) template used in Brighton & Hove and templates used in other local areas
• Worked with East Sussex and West Sussex Parent Carer Forums and mASCot to coproduce information for CAMHS’ website
• Co-presented training for local authority staff, focusing on ADHD using parent carers experiences and our individual lived experience of ADHD
• Attended the SEND Inclusion Conference for school leads – Kit Messenger was one of the guest speakers
• Attended an attendance focus morning with school leads and local authority officers
• Had discussions with the council and health teams about plans for the upcoming SEND strategy mid-point refresh

We know this list sounds like a lot of meetings and the pace of change resulting from work can be slow. PaCC is doing all we can to speed things up to ensure positive changes and outcomes for you and your family.

PaCC Coffee Mornings

PaCC hosts two monthly coffee mornings, each in a different area of the city. These gatherings allow parent carers the opportunity to offer peer to peer support to each other, feedback to PaCC about their experiences and hear updates and information from guests who attend representing different services. Paolo (who facilitates them alongside Leila and Stef), tells us more about the coffee mornings, here.

PaCC’s Annual Calendar

It’s that time of year when PaCC announce our latest calendar theme and invite parent carers to send in their entries. The theme for 2024 is ‘What Helps Me’ and, as always, is based on our children and young people, rather than us parent carers. Find out more and how to submit your entry.

Parent Carer Wellbeing

Parent carer wellbeing continues to be a concern for PaCC and something we frequently raise in meetings. We know that burnout can happen very easily so it’s important that we try to look after ourselves, as well as our children and young people. What helps you? Although our calendar is based on our children, PaCC can still raise awareness of what helps parent carers, or what would help you, in terms of your well-being or any additional needs, disabilities or differences that you may have. Email [email protected] to let us know.

Become a Member of PaCC

If you’re reading this and you’re not a member of PaCC, here are details about how you can become a member.

Please continue to contact us with your feedback and experiences and keep supporting each other – parent carers offer the best support!

Becky Robinson, Chair of PaCC