A parent carer forum is a representative group of local parent carers. Forums work alongside service providers in education, health, and social care, helping to ensure that local services meet the needs of families with children and young people (aged 0 – 25) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Forums are pan-disability. This means they include the views and experiences of families across the full range of needs as described in the SEND Code of Practice (page 97). They do this by bringing these voices to the table and by co-producing solutions as an equal partner.
Forums act as a critical friend. They work in a solution-focused way to help make the best use of stretched budgets. They tell providers which services are working well and provide challenge when improvements or changes are required.
Video: What is a parent carer forum and what do they do?
Department for Education (DfE) grant
There is one DfE funded forum in each local authority area in England. Forums apply for an annual grant from Contact to support with their operation and running costs, find out more here. To get this grant, each forum and their local authority sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This sets out their commitment to work together in co-production as strategic local partners.
Support offered to DfE funded forums
- Support from Contact: How we support forums in England
- Membership and support from the NNPCF: National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) and NNPCF website and social media
- Regional support through regional network groups.
- Additional support for forums: Support for forums
Use of the Term “Member and Membership of the NNPCF”
DfE funded forums under the Participation Contract administered by Contact are often referred to, and identify themselves, as members or as having membership of the NNPCF.
You can read more about the funding of forums here: Grants and monitoring
The term “member and membership” is used in a descriptive, non-legal sense to acknowledge the important role of forums as active and valued participants in our work. This includes their contribution to shared goals and the collective effort to represent parent carer voices across England.
Using the word “member or membership” reflects:
- Being part of the NNPCF with our shared values of collaborative working in a solution focus way.
- The lived experience views of families via local forums, as well as forums strategic views are integral to the work of the NNPCF.
- We believe this terminology best reflects the spirit of partnership and mutual support that underpins our relationship with PCFs across the country.
Video: Tell me about…parent carer forums
Watch parent carer Paul from SEND 4 Dads talk to Nausheen and Jacqui from Swindon SEND Families voice talk about the role of a parent carer forum and why they became involved.
Who can join a parent carer forum?
Parents or carers of a child with any type of additional need or disability are welcome to join. Joining your forum does not mean you have to commit lots of time. In most forums, you can join and receive information, and then decide if you want to get more involved at your own pace.
The forum represents the views of parents in the local area but does not advocate for individual families. Watch our video below.
Video: Making a Difference – Why should I join my parent carer forum?
Updated November 2025
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Looking for something else? You can find a full list of pages on our Parent carer forum handbook contents page.
Find out more about parent carer forums
What all forums have in common
Forums have a unique role: they represent the views and experiences of families with children and young people with special educational needs…
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Success stories: parent carers making a difference
Take a look at some examples of success stories that Parent Carer Forums (PCFs) have shared with us highlighting some of their…
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Support for forums
Find out more about all the different support available for forums.
Read more
Contact Parent Carer Participation Advisers
Parent Carer Participation Adviser's support the forum and provide a sounding board for the forum leadership. Find your forum's named adviser here.
Read more
National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF)
In this section, we look at the role of the NNPCF that all forums are a member of.
Read more