What PACC offers
PACC offers Shropshire parent carers a range of opportunities to participate in the decision making that impacts their families and to come together as a community
We host conferences, workshops, consultation events, training, and information session, both virtually and face to face. Covid 19 did significantly disrupt our work for a while, but we also discovered that meeting virtually works well for many parent carers in Shropshire.
Our events and activities are open to all Shropshire parent carers because we believe that PACC is there for all parent carers and not just those who have time to fill in a membership form! We encourage parent carers to join our mailing list to stay in touch with us and we send out monthly electronic newsletter and regular direct mails with information that we think will be useful to SEND families. You can join our mailing list via the Join PACC button on the homepage of this website.
PACC has a strong presence on social media to ensure that the widest range of parent carers are able to contribute to our work. We have an open Facebook page and an active presence on Twitter. We also offer a number of closed Facebook groups such as our Early Years Chat and Post 16 Chat groups. Please visit the ‘Social Media’ hub on this website to find out more.
Our main aim is the hear from you. Without Shropshire parent carers sharing their experiences of services and the life of SEND families we can do nothing. As a community our strength is the shared experience of our families, and sharing this experience is very powerful and can influence how services are developed and delivered.
PACC knows how busy parent carers are and that finding time to come to meetings or conferences isn't easy, which is why we try to find different ways to connect and hear from you. Creating opportunities to bring families together is an important foundation for our participation work, which is one of the reasons we formed the Actio Consortium. Actio creates inclusive opportunities for SEND families to participate in community-based activities, and offers a range of sporting, arts and social opportunities for children and young people with SEND. You can find out more about Actio on www.actio.org.uk
We also run a social network group for young people aged 12plus and their parent carers, called Buddies. This is a self-funded group which helps build friendship groups and independence as young people with SEND grow older. You can find out more about Buddies on http://www.paccshropshire.org.uk/about-us/buddies-social-group-for-send-teenagers-and-young-adults
Being able to spend time with others who understand what your life is like is important for the SEND community, where families report they often feel isolated and excluded from wider society and so creating opportunities for families to benefit from peer support is a key part of PACC’s work. By supporting each other we can strengthen our community and create better lives for our children.