Dozens of families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities attended an information day held by parent carer forum Voice4Parents at Linden House last Friday (25 February).

Parents and carers were able to find out about SEND information and support that is available to them in Wolverhampton, and there were also free activities and entertainment to keep youngsters busy, including crafts, circus skills, magic, face painting and games.

Staff from the City of Wolverhampton Council and the health and voluntary sector, representing all age groups from early years to post-16, were also in attendance to speak with parents and carers and share details of support and services available locally.

Sarah Baker, Chair of Voice4Parents, said: "It was wonderful to see so many families attending our information fun day. It was a great success and we had such a lot of positive feedback.

"It was lovely to hear how much families had benefitted from the day, the overwhelming response from them was that events like these are really needed to enable them to find out information but also to enjoy lots of different activities that they could do as a family in a relaxed and friendly environment that meets the needs of their children. 

"The fact that so many services, groups and their representatives attended also sent a clear message of their commitment to SEND families in Wolverhampton."  

Councillor Dr Michael Hardacre, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Work, said: "I would like to thank our strategic partner Voice4Parents for holding this event. It proved a great chance for parents and carers to find out about the support available to families of children and young people with SEND, and to share their experiences with one another.”

Meanwhile, Voice4Parents has restarted face to face coffee mornings for parents and carers with sessions, with the first taking place at Sensory Park, Old Tree, WV9 5ET, yesterday (Tuesday). There will be further sessions at the same venue on Tuesdays 22 March and 5 April, and they are open to all.

Voice4Parents is a group of parents and carers of children and young people with SEND living in Wolverhampton. It is a member of the Wolverhampton SEND Partnership Board and works closely with the City of Wolverhampton Council, health providers and other organisations feeding back the experiences of parents and carers to help shape services which better meet their needs.

To find out more visit Voice4Parents, Twitter or search for Voice4Parents on Facebook.