Who are we
BANES Parent Carer Forum is here for families like yours. From those who might be only just thinking about SEND, to those who already have a diagnosis – everyone is welcome.
Run by parents, for parents, we’re a not-for-profit group who are all passionate about supporting others and working to make things better. We understand the challenges, and the joys that come with meeting individual needs.
Joining is completely free!
Become a member
Being a member means you can come to events, get information and be part of a supportive community that really gets it. You don’t need a diagnosis, an EHCP or any other paperwork to join, you might not even have considered SEND as part of your family’s make-up until now – we’re here for everyone, no matter how far along your journey you are.
As a not-for-profit Community Interest Company (CIC), everything we do is designed to benefit our members. As a member, your voice helps shape what we do. We listen to your experiences, ideas, and concerns and use them to try to influence decision-makers in education, health, social care and other agencies.
We help all families of children and young people with SEND (up to age 25) across Bath & North East Somerset. We represent all their voices behind the scenes in decision making meetings and conversations about the development of services. We’re also part of wider regional and national networks, all working together to improve the lives of families.
BANES Parent Carer Forum
Supporting Families | Driving Change
In more depth
BANES Parent Carer Forum CIC is the Department for Education recognised forum for Bath and North East Somerset.
A Parent Carer Forum (PCF) is an independent local group of parent carers of children and young people (aged 0–25) with additional needs or disabilities. They work with local authorities, education, health, and other services to help ensure support meets the needs of children and families.
Within England every local authority area is expected to have a parent carer forum to act as the strategic partner for parent carer participation. There can only be one parent carer forum per local authority area.
Parent Carer Forums are specifically referenced in the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice 2015 in Chapter One paragraph 1.13
Parent Carer Forums are representative local groups of parents and carers of children and young people with disabilities who work alongside local authorities, education, health and other service providers to ensure the services they plan, commission, deliver and monitor meet the needs of children and families. Parent Carer Forums have been established in most local areas and local authorities are actively encouraged to work with them.
Parent carer participation is when parents and service providers work together, recognising each other’s expert knowledge, to design, develop and improve services for children and young people with SEND aged 0 – 25 in the local area. The way parent carers work with service providers is by joining parent carer forums. Expectations for how Local Authorities consider families, parents, children and young people is written into The Children and Families Act 2014 Section 3 paragraph 19:
Local authority functions: supporting and involving children and young people
In exercising a function under this Part in the case of a child or young person, a local authority in England must have regard to the following matters in particular—
(a) the views, wishes and feelings of the child and his or her parent, or the young person;
(b) the importance of the child and his or her parent, or the young person, participating as fully as possible in decisions relating to the exercise of the function concerned;
(c) the importance of the child and his or her parent, or the young person, being provided with the information and support necessary to enable participation in those decisions;
(d) the need to support the child and his or her parent, or the young person, in order to facilitate the development of the child or young person and to help him or her achieve the best possible educational and other outcomes.
BANES Parent Carer Forum CIC is the Department for Education recognised forum for Bath and North East Somerset.
The forum is a member of the South West Region Parent Carer Forum and Rachel Hale, CEO of BANES PCF is a Director and current Vice-Chair.
BANES PCF is also a member of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).