We love data

We have recently installed new data storing software – lamplight. This upgrade will hugely benefit the work we are able to do on your behalf by increasing the power of our reporting. Today we are asking you to spend 5 minutes updating the data that we hold about you, your family and your needs by clicking on this link. 

We thought it would be useful to explain why membership data is so important to us and how it helps our work. 

1. Demonstrating Need

Hard data shows the scale and diversity of challenges faced by families in our area.

Numbers of members with particular needs (e.g., autism, physical disability, complex health) highlight where services may be lacking.

This helps us make stronger, evidence-based arguments when influencing local decision-makers.

2. Strengthening Voice and Believability

Data demonstrates that the PCF speaks for a large and varied group of parent carers across BANES, not just a few individuals.

This credibility helps when we’re engaging with the council, health services, and other strategic partnerss.

3. Providing Quantifiable Stories (Not Just Anecdotes)

Individual stories are powerful, but data gives those stories weight.

For example: “Three parents told us they wait over a year for an assessment” is anecdotal; “67% of surveyed members report waiting over 12 months” is quantifiable and harder to dismiss.

Combining statistics with lived experience creates balanced, believable stories.

4. Monitoring Representation and Reach

Collecting data helps us understand which groups of families we are reaching and which may be underrepresented (e.g., ethnic minorities, rural families, certain age ranges).

This ensures inclusivity and helps us target outreach where it’s most needed.

5. Tracking Change Over Time

By gathering data consistently, we can show trends: growing membership, shifting needs, or repeated issues with services.

This builds a strong evidence base for influencing change across BANES and nationally.

6. Securing and Justifying Funding

Funders and local authorities expect evidence that we, as a forum represent a real, diverse community of parent carers from across BANES.

Membership data – numbers, postcode areas, demographics, types of needs & disabilities represented – strengthens our funding applications by showing how widely our families are spread and how many parents we support. 

Accurate figures can help us argue for more long-term, sustainable funding by showing growth in membership and an increasing demand for our work.

Put simply: data turns our voices into collective evidence – making us more powerful and harder to ignore.

Update yours here or call us on 01761 502 515 and we’ll do it for you.