PaCC is changing
We’re sharing some important updates about changes we’re making at PaCC. These changes are essential to ensure we can continue to support families in Brighton & Hove effectively, despite challenges such as increased demand for our work, and reduced funding.
Why are we making changes?
- Increased demand: The number of SEND-related areas needing our involvement has grown significantly.
- Reduced funding: Our funding for next financial year, April 2025 to March 2026 has been reduced by approx. 20%, which impacts how much we can do.
- Staff wellbeing: Our current way of working has stretched our team, and we want to ensure everyone can continue working effectively while looking after their wellbeing.
- Chair role: This role has always been broad, as it covers education, health and social care – but due to PaCC’s existing workload, it’s now not manageable for one person to do on their own.
To meet these challenges, we are updating our structure and the way we work.
What are the changes?
Smaller, focused teams – “Bubbles”:
- We are organising our work into smaller teams – or bubbles – focused on Education, Health, Social Care, and Engagement, to make sure every area gets the attention it needs. The chair role will be spread out among the bubble leads and the PaCC Steering Group will become ‘PaCC Bubbles’.
- Each team will be led by a parent carer with expertise in that area.
These teams will also include other parent carers who bring lived experience and valuable perspectives.
Clearer priorities:
- We will be following PaCC’s workplan, made up of parent carer priorities and fully funded work. This means we will stop spreading ourselves too thin and concentrate on what matters most to you.
Assemblies for the community:
We will hold regular assemblies where parent carers, local authority representatives, and health service leads can meet, discuss updates, and share feedback. We still need to agree funding and scale for the bigger assembly events.
Improved communication:
We’re committed to sharing updates with you more clearly and consistently.
We’ll use social media, emails, and other channels to keep you informed about our work and decisions.
What this means for you
- Stronger representation: We’ll continue to represent your voices in key conversations with the local authority and health services.
- More opportunities to get involved: Our new structure will create clearer roles for parent carers who want to contribute to specific areas.
- A bigger focus on your feedback: Assemblies, focus groups, and surveys will ensure that your experiences shape our work.
Our commitment to you
We understand the importance of having a strong, effective voice for the SEND community. These changes are designed to ensure we remain focused, sustainable, and impactful.
We know change can raise questions, and we’re here to answer them. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you’d like more information or have any thoughts about these updates. More details about the changes will be sent to you soon, once funding for next year is secured and our internal planning is finalised.
We can work toward better outcomes for our children and families.