Aims and objectivesAgreeing aims and objectives ensures that everyone involved in the group understands its purpose. Agreeing your forum’s aims and objectives The first step in setting up a forum is for everyone to agree on what the group hopes to achieve. This is important because it ensures everyone understands the group’s purpose and can work towards the same goals. It can help to write a short mission statement that sets out your forum’s aims. You can use this on leaflets, your website and newsletters to let others know what you do. What These Terms Mean: Aims Definition: Broad goals that set out what your group wants to achieve overall. Why they matter: They provide a big picture idea of your forum’s purpose and what it would like to achieve without being specific. Mission Definition: A short statement that explains why your group exists and what it does. Why it matters: It helps others understand your core values and focus. Vision Definition: A description of what your group aspires to become in the future. It serves as a guiding star for all planning. Why it matters: It provides direction and inspiration for long-term planning and impact the group hopes to achieve. Values Definition: Values describe the principles and behaviours that forum stands for and is committed to. Why they matter: To help guide how you will work towards your forum’s purpose. Things to consider when creating your purpose and values: Use co-production and effective parent carer participation to develop your purpose and values with parent carers and potentially other partners. Get some support if needed – consider paying someone to coordinate the work, or bringing in a facilitator. Be aware of the purpose of the Department for Education (DfE) grant and the HM Government code of conduct for grant recipients. All forums in receipt of the DfE parent carer participation grant are bound by these. Think about how you will demonstrate your forum’s commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion. Look at other forums/organisation’s purposes and values. Rotherham’s Genuine Partnerships talks about the four cornerstones approach which describes the values needed to develop co-production. When designing what you hope to achieve, you will need to think about: Who is eligible to be a member of the forum What role the forum will play in your local area. The principles that guide parent carer forums To help you do this take a look at the sections on membership and what all forums have in common. In England, to receive the DfE participation grant, forums must: Be open to all parents or carers of children and young people (age 0-25) with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) living in the local authority area. Be pan-disability. This means all parent carers with a disabled child can become a forum member, regardless of the nature of their child’s disability or medical condition. Examples Below are some examples from parent carer forums which might help you when deciding your own. National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) Our mission is to deliver better outcomes for families living with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We aim to: create a culture of participation and co-production across the education, health, social care and the voluntary sectors. This means that we are involved in all aspects of designing, commissioning, delivering and reviewing services as an equal partner. empower our members to ensure that their voices are heard at a local, regional and national level inspire our partners by sharing good practice and knowledge. Our vision is for the best possible opportunities and futures for all children and young people with SEND and their families. South Glos Parent Carers Our vision – To grow a well-informed, empowered, supportive community of SEND families, where every individual’s needs are anticipated, identified and met, enabling them to reach their potential. Our mission – To represent the collective voice of our community, working together with service providers to shape great services and achieve positive change. Waltham Forest Parent Forum OUR AIMS To provide training on topics suggested by our members. To provide an opportunity to participate in joint decision making on services. To provide information to help increase knowledge of the SEND reforms and legislation. To improve and influence those services affecting these families. To provide emotional, practical and social support. To help reduce isolation and increase well-being. Lancashire Parent Carer Forum (LPCF) Purpose It aims to be a voice to inform service providers of the needs of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and their families. LPCF will facilitate two–way communication between parents and carers, young people and children and the services provided for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities. The Forum will work to provide feedback on services, offer constructive challenge to current services and input into decision making and planning for future service provision. The LPCF believes that, by working co-operatively with local service providers, parents and carers can contribute to improvements in the services delivered for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and their families: Through regular communication with parents and carers ensuring they are able to decide whether to be involved in a piece of work/consultation; Ensuring a diverse Forum membership and representation of diverse views from children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and parents and carers from all backgrounds and sectors of the community; Promoting a reputation and image of the LPCF which reflects its aims and values. Aims and Objectives To be the strategic, consultative body within the County of Lancashire which represents families of children and young people from 0 to 25 years with additional needs and disabilities, providing a liaison point for Statutory and Voluntary Agencies within the County. To consult with, and inform our membership, with a view to ensuring that all children and young people in our County with additional needs and disabilities have the best possible outcomes. The expectations and guidelines for these intended outcomes may be updated from time to time in the light of changes to Government policy. Wakefield Parent Carer Forum Aims To be the strategic consultative body representing families and carers who are resident in the area of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, who have children with special and additional needs, and/or disability, providing a liaison point for local Statutory and Voluntary Agencies. To consult with and inform our membership with a view to ensuring that all children in Wakefield who have special and additional needs, and/or disability have the best possible outcomes. These outcomes may be updated from time to time in the light of changes to Government policy. To facilitate participation between all parties and ensure that the voices of parents and carers are heard by The Local Authority, Health and Care Service providers. To empower and support parents and carers to participate.To ensure good practice, knowledge and share expertise to continue to grow and strengthen the forum.To signpost parents and carers to the appropriate services, organisations or services. To develop a cohesive and coherent structure to sustain and develop the effectiveness of participation between parties. To reduce isolation for families & provide peer to peer support. More information Find more on how to set your aims and objectives by visiting one of the following websites: Charity Digital – How to write a mission statement. Charities Aid Foundation – How to write your charity mission statement. Selecting a name You will also need to think about what you are going to call your forum. It helps to come up with a name that will explain to other people what you do and encourage parents to want to join. Examples of names other forums have used include: Doncaster Parent Voice. Nottinghamshire Parent Carer Forum. Cumbria Parent Carer Forum. Stronger Together South Tyneside. Hampshire Parent Carer Network. Do you have any thoughts about this page? Visit our How to feedback page to share them. Looking for something else? You can find a full list of pages on our Parent carer forum handbook contents page. Grants and monitoring Find out more about the DfE grant process Find out more HM Code of conduct for grant holders Find out more about the HM code of conduct Find out more Participation and co-production find out more about participation and co-production for forums Participation and co-production What all forums have in common Find out about the shared values of forums What all forums have in common Membership Membership and mailing list Equality, Diversity and inclusion Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) Our mission is to deliver better outcomes for families living with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We aim to: create a culture of participation and co-production across the education, health, social care and the voluntary sectors. This means that we are involved in all aspects of designing, commissioning, delivering and reviewing services as an equal partner. empower our members to ensure that their voices are heard at a local, regional and national level inspire our partners by sharing good practice and knowledge. Our vision is for the best possible opportunities and futures for all children and young people with SEND and their families.
National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) Our mission is to deliver better outcomes for families living with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We aim to: create a culture of participation and co-production across the education, health, social care and the voluntary sectors. This means that we are involved in all aspects of designing, commissioning, delivering and reviewing services as an equal partner. empower our members to ensure that their voices are heard at a local, regional and national level inspire our partners by sharing good practice and knowledge. Our vision is for the best possible opportunities and futures for all children and young people with SEND and their families.
South Glos Parent Carers Our vision – To grow a well-informed, empowered, supportive community of SEND families, where every individual’s needs are anticipated, identified and met, enabling them to reach their potential. Our mission – To represent the collective voice of our community, working together with service providers to shape great services and achieve positive change.
South Glos Parent Carers Our vision – To grow a well-informed, empowered, supportive community of SEND families, where every individual’s needs are anticipated, identified and met, enabling them to reach their potential. Our mission – To represent the collective voice of our community, working together with service providers to shape great services and achieve positive change.
Waltham Forest Parent Forum OUR AIMS To provide training on topics suggested by our members. To provide an opportunity to participate in joint decision making on services. To provide information to help increase knowledge of the SEND reforms and legislation. To improve and influence those services affecting these families. To provide emotional, practical and social support. To help reduce isolation and increase well-being.
Waltham Forest Parent Forum OUR AIMS To provide training on topics suggested by our members. To provide an opportunity to participate in joint decision making on services. To provide information to help increase knowledge of the SEND reforms and legislation. To improve and influence those services affecting these families. To provide emotional, practical and social support. To help reduce isolation and increase well-being.
Lancashire Parent Carer Forum (LPCF) Purpose It aims to be a voice to inform service providers of the needs of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and their families. LPCF will facilitate two–way communication between parents and carers, young people and children and the services provided for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities. The Forum will work to provide feedback on services, offer constructive challenge to current services and input into decision making and planning for future service provision. The LPCF believes that, by working co-operatively with local service providers, parents and carers can contribute to improvements in the services delivered for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and their families: Through regular communication with parents and carers ensuring they are able to decide whether to be involved in a piece of work/consultation; Ensuring a diverse Forum membership and representation of diverse views from children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and parents and carers from all backgrounds and sectors of the community; Promoting a reputation and image of the LPCF which reflects its aims and values. Aims and Objectives To be the strategic, consultative body within the County of Lancashire which represents families of children and young people from 0 to 25 years with additional needs and disabilities, providing a liaison point for Statutory and Voluntary Agencies within the County. To consult with, and inform our membership, with a view to ensuring that all children and young people in our County with additional needs and disabilities have the best possible outcomes. The expectations and guidelines for these intended outcomes may be updated from time to time in the light of changes to Government policy.
Lancashire Parent Carer Forum (LPCF) Purpose It aims to be a voice to inform service providers of the needs of children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and their families. LPCF will facilitate two–way communication between parents and carers, young people and children and the services provided for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities. The Forum will work to provide feedback on services, offer constructive challenge to current services and input into decision making and planning for future service provision. The LPCF believes that, by working co-operatively with local service providers, parents and carers can contribute to improvements in the services delivered for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and their families: Through regular communication with parents and carers ensuring they are able to decide whether to be involved in a piece of work/consultation; Ensuring a diverse Forum membership and representation of diverse views from children and young people with additional needs and disabilities and parents and carers from all backgrounds and sectors of the community; Promoting a reputation and image of the LPCF which reflects its aims and values. Aims and Objectives To be the strategic, consultative body within the County of Lancashire which represents families of children and young people from 0 to 25 years with additional needs and disabilities, providing a liaison point for Statutory and Voluntary Agencies within the County. To consult with, and inform our membership, with a view to ensuring that all children and young people in our County with additional needs and disabilities have the best possible outcomes. The expectations and guidelines for these intended outcomes may be updated from time to time in the light of changes to Government policy.
Wakefield Parent Carer Forum Aims To be the strategic consultative body representing families and carers who are resident in the area of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, who have children with special and additional needs, and/or disability, providing a liaison point for local Statutory and Voluntary Agencies. To consult with and inform our membership with a view to ensuring that all children in Wakefield who have special and additional needs, and/or disability have the best possible outcomes. These outcomes may be updated from time to time in the light of changes to Government policy. To facilitate participation between all parties and ensure that the voices of parents and carers are heard by The Local Authority, Health and Care Service providers. To empower and support parents and carers to participate.To ensure good practice, knowledge and share expertise to continue to grow and strengthen the forum.To signpost parents and carers to the appropriate services, organisations or services. To develop a cohesive and coherent structure to sustain and develop the effectiveness of participation between parties. To reduce isolation for families & provide peer to peer support.
Wakefield Parent Carer Forum Aims To be the strategic consultative body representing families and carers who are resident in the area of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council, who have children with special and additional needs, and/or disability, providing a liaison point for local Statutory and Voluntary Agencies. To consult with and inform our membership with a view to ensuring that all children in Wakefield who have special and additional needs, and/or disability have the best possible outcomes. These outcomes may be updated from time to time in the light of changes to Government policy. To facilitate participation between all parties and ensure that the voices of parents and carers are heard by The Local Authority, Health and Care Service providers. To empower and support parents and carers to participate.To ensure good practice, knowledge and share expertise to continue to grow and strengthen the forum.To signpost parents and carers to the appropriate services, organisations or services. To develop a cohesive and coherent structure to sustain and develop the effectiveness of participation between parties. To reduce isolation for families & provide peer to peer support.