Documents and information on this page are of general interest. PaCC is part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF); some documents and information have been provided by one of the many parent carers forums active in England. If you need specific information and support around your child and your family’s needs please contact SENDIASS, Amaze’s advice line at [email protected] or call 01273 772289 (open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 2.30pm).
In response to the rollout of Covid vaccinations to a defined group of Clinically Extremely Vulnerable (CEV) 12-15 year olds, Amaze Services Director, Ros Cook, and PaCC Rep Pippa Hodge, were invited to be part of a Brighton & Hove Vaccination Task & Finish Group to oversee the planning/delivery of the vaccinations. Weekly meetings have[...] Read More
We are very excited to announce that the nominations for the PaCC Awards 2021 are now open! The PaCC Awards are a way to say thank you to that special person or organisation who did that little bit extra for your family this year. The past few months have been very challenging for many[...] Read More
Do you receive or are you about to receive Direct Payments in relation to your child’s special educational needs and disability (SEND)? Would you like to find out more about managing Direct Payments, pre-paid cards and Supported Bank Accounts? Join us on Tuesday 28th September, from 11am to 1pm at BMECP Centre, 10A Fleet Street, Brighton BN1 4ZE, when PaCC are hosting a PaCConnect,[...] Read More
Have you thought about joining the Parent Carers Council or do you have friends who may be interested in joining PaCC ? As we continue to go through challenging times, it means that more than ever, we need to support each other. The forum is here to give you a voice on how services are[...] Read More
After months of lockdown and isolation, February and March brought some fun and relaxation to SEND families in Brighton & Hove! Some of our PaCC Partners were able to organise online activities, groups and pampering sessions for their SEND families, thanks to a grant from the Department for Education. And how welcome those were for[...] Read More
New ways of supporting children who are not able to attend school on a full-time basis PaCC are pleased to announce that Norman Haskins has recently been appointed as the Hidden Children Officer for Brighton & Hove. ‘Hidden Children’ are children and young people who are unable to attend school on a full-time basis for[...] Read More
A celebration of people and organisations who have helped in this extraordinary year What a year 2020 has been! Whilst it looks like we are slowly coming out of the worst of it (with schools reopening and lockdown relaxing), it was heartfelt and sometimes emotional to celebrate the 2020 PaCC Awards, which were postponed due[...] Read More
For the past 18 months, PaCC and Amaze have been working in partnership with Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC), Brighton and Hove CCG (B&H CCG), schools, and other agencies and services in health and care on the development of a five year Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) Strategy, 2021-2026. The aim of the[...] Read More
During the past few months we have come to realise that our ‘normal’ face to face interaction had to be paused. Most of our social interaction is now happening online, and that, whilst keeping everyone safe, has brought up many issues including families becoming even more isolated. Last summer, PaCC made sure that some under-spend[...] Read More
Since December last year, one of our fantastic PaCC parents has been working with Dr Soluchi Amobi, the neurodisability lead at Seaside View, on reviewing the pathway for families who have children with physical neurodisability. The parent has a child with cerebral palsy and the first stage of this consultation has been getting feedback about[...] Read More
Brighton & Hove’s SEN Team created the following letter in response to issues raised with PaCC and Amaze around communications with parent carers during Covid-19. “The current and ongoing response to the Covid-19 situation is causing many ongoing challenges and difficulties for families in Brighton and Hove. In the SEN Team, we understand that many[...] Read More
John McKee, Chair of Secondary Heads Forum, shared with us his perspective on the work of local schools during the pandemic. “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable. These words have resonated with secondary school heads throughout this extremely challenging period for the young people across[...] Read More
It’s been a very busy few months across the Summer and Autumn for PaCC Home to School Transport (HTST) Reps Diana & Pippa. Following the extremely turbulent experiences for students, families and schools in 2019, the September return this year ran a lot more smoothly – despite the increased challenges presented by the ongoing Pandemic.[...] Read More
Brighton & Hove City Council has developed a new SEND Strategy for children and young people aged 0-25. The strategy has been a positive collaboration, and a thoughtful piece of engagement work, led by Georgina Clarke-Green, Assistant Director, Health, SEN and Disability. PaCC was actively involved representing parent carers in the city, and their children[...] Read More
PaCC gets parent carers’ views on 2nd lockdown from coffee mornings Whilst we are writing this, we are emerging from the second national lockdown into Tier 2 restrictions in Brighton & Hove. PaCC was keen to hear from families how the second lockdown affected them and what information, help and support they wanted to be[...] Read More
Since the beginning of lockdown, PaCC steering group reps and colleagues from Amaze met weekly via Zoom to discuss the many issues that families were facing because of Covid restrictions. A regular theme of discussion was the lack of access to open spaces, the lack of leisure opportunities, the lack of PAs and the concerning[...] Read More
John McKee on developing relationships between secondary schools, PaCC and Amaze: Secondary Heads in Brighton and Hove place great value on collaboration. It is our belief that we can only offer the very best for each and every child in our city if we work in partnership with our community. And it is this belief[...] Read More
A way to keep in touch during the pandemic Covid 19 has changed our everyday life, the way we used to do things, including meeting other people. For many parents lockdown has meant that the small amount of time they usually had for themselves was mostly wiped out. Many families have felt more isolated and[...] Read More