National Conference for parent carer forums
3 mins read
Thursday 12 February 2026
We were proud to support this years National Conference for parent carer forums with the Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) on Tuesday 3 February in Sheffield.
The conference is an opportunity for forums to come together along with partners in the sector, to celebrate the power of parent carer participation and the vital role of forums and the NNPCF in representing parent voices across England. We were joined by over 200 attendees, with177 parent carers in attendance representing 97 parent carer forums.
Contact’s CEO, Anna Bird, recognised the unwavering commitment of parent carers working tireless running parent carer forums saying:
“We all know there is a huge task ahead of us to move towards a system that truly meets the needs of children and families – across education, health and social care. That change will not be quick, and it will not be easy. But it will not happen at all unless families are genuinely involved in what happens next. That is why parent carer forums matter now more than ever. We absolutely believe in what you do, and we are committed to doing all we can to support you whilst always respecting that the voices and leadership sit with parent carers themselves.”
Read Anna’s conference speech in full (.doc)
Throughout the day attendees heard from key partners including the Department for Education’s Claire Burton, Director for SEND and Alternative Provision, joining workshops to listen directly to parent carers experiences and reaffirm her teams commitment to improvements.
The afternoon session was opened by the Minister for School Standards, Georgia Gould MP, who acknowledged the dedication of forums and the NNPCF in championing lived experience to inform change. Her participation in workshop discussions reflect the value of hearing directly from families about the challenges they face and the changes they need to see in the upcoming SEND reform white paper.
Contact would like to say a massive thank you to our partners the NNPCF for all their work in making the day so successful. Thank you to all the parent carer forums for their experience and insight throughout the day.
Thank you also to our fabulous stall holders, the Department for Education, and Irwin Mitchel for their sponsorship and support on the day.
Want to find out more about parent carer forums?
Have you thought about getting involved with your local parent carer forum?
Forums work with local authorities across England to make sure that local, regional, and national services best meet the needs of families of children and young people with SEND. They represent the voice and experiences of those receiving services. And they make sure that service providers take account of them when planning, designing, implementing, and reviewing services.
Contact works with the Department for Education (DfE) to support parent carer forums across England by providing an adviser team, training and resources to forums, and helping forums manage the DfE grants they are awarded to do the work they do.
Find out more about https://contact.org.uk/help-for-families/parent-carer-participation/how-we-support-forums-in-england/.
Find your local parent carer forum.
