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High Needs Review and Strategic Plan for SEND Consultation, Picnic in the Park & lots more...

High Needs Review and Strategic Plan for SEND Consultation

Thank you to all our families who responded or attended a focus group regarding the High Needs Review and SEND Consultation.   Our Summary response is on our website and we will continue to hold conversations on this matter with the key SEND Team as part of our Aiming High for SEND workstreams. Please click on the following link for our Summary response: 
https://www.podstelford.org/consultations-surveys/​

Carers UK - The State of Caring Annual Survey Report

The State of Caring Annual Survey has been released from Carers UK and contents of this report include reference to parent carers.  The content of the report includes impact on health and wellbeing , Practical support with caring, Costs, cuts and closures, Experiences of Carer’s Assessments, the Costs of caring, Juggling work and care and Expectations for the future.

The survey was shared Nationally and through PODS Forum earlier in the year and we would like to thank you if you had any input into it.

This National Report has already been highlighted at the Carers Partnership Board in Telford & Wrekin where PODS Forum are represented, you will find the report on our website: https://www.podstelford.org/national-links/​

Please Vote for the Moat!

The Albrighton Trust are finalists in the Environmental Champions category of the Shropshire Star’s “The Great Big Thank You Awards 2018”. Everyone at the Moat and Gardens are delighted to have been nominated for the award in recognition for the work they do: establishing wildflower gardens, creating a recycled plastic bottle greenhouse, rainwater collecting and composting, introducing a living wall, plus creating woodcraft items to raise funds from recycled materials.

Please take the time and vote for them here: https://www.starthankyou.shropshirestar.co.uk/​

SEND Parent/Carer Newsletter - Summer 2018

The 2nd edition of the SEND Parent/Carer Newsletter keeps you updated with what has been happening over the last term and provides you with insights into developments for next year: 
https://www.podstelford.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/SEND-Parent-Carer-Newsletter-Summer-2018.pdf​

Beam - Drop In Times for July 2018

We have lots of information on the Beam service on our website under Local Links and Support: https://www.podstelford.org/local-links-support/​

Please see the poster below for the Drop In times for July 2018.

PODS Picnic in the Park - Monday 6th August with Special Guests from Pirates and Princesses!

We are hosting this years Picnic in the Park on Monday 6th August at Admaston House, Admaston. We will be having some very special guests from Pirates and Princesses!! We will also have, Quad Bikes, a Bouncy Castle and lots more! This year is an extra special year for PODS as we are celebrating 10 years! Come and help us celebrate at what will be a fantastic day for all our families! We look forward to seeing you!

 

PODS Parent/Carer Night Out - Friday 14th September

Come and join us as we celebrate our 10th Anniversay! The celebration is being held at St George's Cricket Club, there will be a live band and a DJ!

The tickets are £5 and will include a drink and food. To book your tickets please click on the following link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pods-parentcarer-night-tickets-47108661274

This is an Adults only event.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Weekly Update from Jayne Stevens (Participation Co-ordinator)...​

It doesn't get any quieter in PODS world when the holidays start and there are still as many meetings to attend. Last week started on a really personal issue and the true awareness of been a 'sandwich' carer really hit home. I hope you have had chance to look at the State of Caring Report I shared earlier in the week? 

A day in the hub at Stepping Stones is always well spent and get to speak with parents one to one and discuss services and even share a bit of office space with a continence nurse (I wish I'd known that earlier...), we held a great Hollinswood Family Group alongside our F2F project and welcomed new families - it's always great to see dads and children getting involved. We've held a focus group on the High Needs Spending Review (for chidlren with EHCPs and the provision of a 'hubs' model) - the response has just been submitted and shared on our website (see link above).

On Thursday we met with a consultant from the council around Transport and it was really refreshing to know that matters we had concerns about had already been picked up as needing further development and we await further reporting and hopefully opening up wider discussions with families in due course. We've also met with the new Public Health commissioner and discussed the Healthy Child programme and we have this information available if you would like to see it. Friday, I popped over to see the new BEAM (Children's Society) building in Wellington along with two of our parent reps - it's on the old WHSmith site... and talked about their service offer for children and young people but also to parent carers who want to go in independently to talk about their children. They offer signposting opportunities to wider services too and are building up many more community links - they will have extended opening hours and these include a Saturday!

I would like to re-iterate that any families who have any concerns at all abut services - across anything - can get in touch with me in whichever manner suits them best - email, phone, fb messenger, pods page - you don't have to wait to be asked about a service - the more you tell me and the more people raise an issue the better we can deal with it and this goes for information you may also wish to share with our parent reps who are out there in the community for you and your views.

On a highlight we have our Picnic in the Park coming up on 6th August - check out our Events listings and also to continue our 10 year celebrations is a Party night on 14th September - get the date in your diaries and get booking for an awesome night out  :)

Thank you for reading and Best Wishes to you all.

Come and join us at our Family Groups...

Friday 27th July 2018: Your Voice + Family Resouces from 9.30am-11.30am at Dawley Town Hall (opposite Langley School/CAMHS) New Street, Dawley, Telford, TF4 3JR

Monday 30th July 2018: ****PLEASE NOTE PIRATES AND PRINCESSES FAMILY GROUP WILL NOT BE RUNNING****

Monday 6th August 2018: Your Voice + Family Resources from 10am-12pm at Admaston House, Admaston,Telford, TF5 0BN

Thursday 9th August 2018: Your Voice + Family Resources from 7pm-9pm at the Elephant and Castle Pub, Dawley, Telford, TF4 2ET

Thank you for reading our latest bulletin.

Kerrie Seagrave

Project Administrator on behalf of PODS Parent Carer Forum.

We hope you enjoyed reading our latest e-bulletin - we hope you continue to find it useful. If you have any suggestions to make it better feel free to let me know. 

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