Working with other local groups

Different ways that forums can work with other local groups involved with the forum.

Many parents opt to join a local parent group that specialises in one disability, such as autism, ADHD, Down syndrome or hearing impairments. These parents may not realise that many of the problems they experience, other families whose children have a different condition may also experience.

Some parent carer forums have found it effective for a member of the forum to visit local parent carer groups. There they can meet the group, tell them about the forum, why it was set up and how they can join.  Raising awareness of the forum this way can be an effective way to build your membership and reach parents with children who have a range of conditions and needs. It also helps you build networks with other groups.

Getting other groups involved in the forum

There are lots of ways that forums can work with local groups. Alongside visiting groups, you can also ensure you invite them to any events you run. It would be good to discuss with the group lead how they want to be involved and ensure the experiences of the families in their group are being shared.

Some of the ways forums have involved groups include:

• A member of the parent carer support group joining the forum’s steering group.
• Establish a regular method to collect feedback via an email or form.
• Have regular meetings with the group lead.
• Have an agreed way to share information with the group about participation opportunities.

Some forums have found establishing a network for local groups helps them to ensure they are gathering a large range of views and experiences. You can achieve this by organising a space for you all to meet regularly, either face to face or online. This session provides an opportunity to find about the services which families are finding useful and hear about the challenges that they are facing.

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.

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