What we do - Have your say! - Other local and national surveys and consultations

Transformation of Children's Services in Wiltshire Survey

Lots of different organisations in Wiltshire are working together to make lives better for families. A variety of health services, schools and early years settings (e.g. children’s centres, nurseries, etc.), council services, family support services and others would like to hear about your experience when things got difficult and what support worked best for you.

This is a really important opportunity to inform a wide range of services and play a part in improving how help and support can be offered to all families of children and young people in Wiltshire (including, but not only, those with SEND). The survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

We would also like to encourage as many young people as possible to respond to the survey. You may or may not need some help to answer some of the questions but you will only need to answer questions that are appropriate to you. Questions will talk about ‘your child’, but please read this to mean ‘you’.

Click: [Families and Children's Transformation Survey 2018] to go to the survey.

Consultation to secure sufficient places for special schools goes live

In May 2018 Wiltshire Councillors agreed to consult on proposals to increase the special school provision for children and young people with complex needs and severe learning disabilities in the north of the county. A consultation to consider this is now live and will run until 31st July 2018.

This process is not about closing special schools or taking away special school places, but about considering how in Wiltshire special school places can be increased.

This is quite possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity that collectively enables parent carers and other stakeholders to not only reflect on the needs of children and young people in Wiltshire with SEND, but be part of aspirational thinking and decision making to meet the needs of our children and young people now, and the needs of children and young people with SEND for many years to come.

Through WPCC engagement and discussion, some of things that parent carers said were that special schools should have good facilities including integrated therapies, they would like to be involved in the design of new buildings and have a say in what the provision looks like, and they want special school provision to be more flexible so that they don't have to educate their children at home or in other counties due to lack of choice.

It is important that there is clear understanding about the options being proposed in the consultation and to help understanding, there is a short consultation document that explains what the consultation is about, what the proposals are, some of the opportunities and some possible issues. There will also be a short video podcast on the Wiltshire Council website to add further detail and explanation available very soon.

The WPCC is encouraging all parent carers take part in the consultation, so that together we achieve the right outcomes for all our children/young people with SEND.

You can read more about the consultation and the proposals, participate in consultation by visiting the Wiltshire Council website: [CONSULTATION].

Workshop to Demonstrate Free Music Making Equipment for Children and Young People with SEND

Ruth Jones is the Development Manager at [Wiltshire Music Connect] – the music education hub for Wiltshire. She would like to improve access to music making for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities, and social, emotional, and mental health issues.

Wiltshire Music Connect have a set of five “Skoogs” and would like to offer two or three free parent and carer introductory workshops across Wiltshire. Your feedback will help them work out when / where the workshops should be held, and after the workshops they will then be able to work out how best to loan the Skoogs free of charge to parents and carers, Opportunity Groups and for Holiday Projects, etc. They have specialist music leaders who are able to lead workshops or deliver one to one music lessons.

A [Skoog] is an accessible digital musical instrument that can be adjusted for a range of sensitivities. It is wireless, and is used with ipads and speakers. Click

[HERE] to watch a short clip (57 seconds) that shows what a Skoog is.

Please complete their survey here: [SKOOG SURVEY]

A303 Stonehenge: Supplementary Consultation July 2018

Earlier this year we asked you to share your views on Highways England proposals for improving the A303 past Stonehenge.

They have been using this feedback to further develop their plans and have now identified three changes on which they would welcome your views before they submit their application for a development consent order to build the scheme.

Please see their website for more details and the different ways to give your views, including via an online survey, by email or Freepost: [A303 Stonehenge Consultation]

The survey will close on August 14th 2018

Parent Carer Support Groups facilitated by Carer Support Wiltshire

Despite regular promotion there has been very limited attendance at some of the Parent Carer Support Groups that were being facilitated by Carer Support Wiltshire. Carer Support Wiltshire have therefore taken the decision to close the groups in Salisbury, Chippenham and Devizes.

Carer Support Wiltshire is introducing their Community Connectors and they will be working across Wiltshire to identify and support carers.

In response to questions from the WPCC about the closure of these groups, the WPCC has been told that if the Community Connectors uncover the need to reinstate a group, then they will be able to do this.

If you need a parent carer support group in your area, please let Carer Support Wiltshire know and they will pass this onto one of their Community Connectors.

Carer Support Wiltshire can be contacted on 0800 181 4118 or by email at: info@carersinwiltshire.co.uk

Alternatively, you can complete a WPCC Feedback Form and we will pass your comments on to Carer Support Wiltshire on your behalf.

Wiltshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) - Urgent GP appointments

If you need a same day urgent GP appointment - this could mean that you might not be able to see your usual GP and you may have to travel to a different practice. Urgent GP appointments are booked on the day and are for patients who have health problems which cannot wait for a routine appointment.

Wiltshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) wants to hear your views on accessing urgent GP appointments. Tell them what you think by completing this [Survey]

Contact - Petition in Response to Cuts to Universal Credit

Under [Universal Credit], payments for a disabled child are to be cut by more than 50 per cent for most disabled children. Consequently, many families with a disabled child will be worse off. Families whose caring responsibilities prevent them from working and who qualify for the lower disability element appear certain to be worse off by at least £1,600 per year. It seems certain that the number of families with disabled children who will be worse off is likely to be significantly more than 100,000. Many of these families are already struggling to afford basic essentials such as food and heating. The impact of a further cut of more than £1,600 a year for many is likely to be increased debt, stress and ill health. Contact is therefore calling on the Prime Minister to reverse cuts to child disability payments under Universal Credit.

More than 4,000 people have signed Contact’s (formerly Contact a Family) petition so far. This is an invitation to join them and help stop cuts to payments for disabled children under Universal Credit, by [signing the petition] today.

More information about Contact’s campaign against cuts to Universal Credit can be found [HERE].

Contact - School Transport Loophole Petition

A few weeks ago Contact (formerly Contact a Family) launched their school transport loophole petition. They had more than 3000 signatures in the first 24 hours, and Contact would like to thank everyone who has already seen and signed the petition.

Contact set the target of 5000 signatures and they are currently on 4908; they are asking us to help promote the petition.

More information from Contact about what they understand nationally:-

"We know from our school transport inquiry that the impact of losing school transport is huge for families. Unfortunately, more and more disabled children are being refused school transport or charged for it, as councils exploit a loophole in the law. How can it be fair that the law says a young person is expected to be in school or training until 18 but does not have the transport to get there once they turn 16? We are calling on the government to close this loophole for disabled youngsters as they face additional challenges getting to school or college. Please sign our petition to close the school transport loophole for disabled youngsters http://bit.ly/2HxKV2O #schoolruncrisis"

If you need advice on school transport, you can visit Contact's webpage and read their useful fact sheets:
[Transport to School and College]
[Challenging School Transport Decisions]
[Transport for over 16's in England]

Rare Diseases Advisory Group

NHS England is seeking to recruit a new patient/public member to its Rare Diseases Advisory Group (RDAG). The RDAG Patient and Public Voice (PPV) member should ideally have lived experience of a rare disease and the capacity to provide independent judgement on the strategy, vision and performance of RDAG. Members are reimbursed for their meeting, preparation time and expenses. For more information and to request an application pack e-mail: england.voice-crg@nhs.net.

Scope Research Project - Our Lives Our Journey

The charity, Scope, are looking for disabled people and parents of disabled children living in England and Wales to take part in their new five year life opportunities study. Your participation will help them develop their future campaigns and the support they provide to disabled people and their families.

Read more on the [Scope Website]

Calling all young disabled people ....

• this includes physical disability, sensory impairments, learning difficulties and disability, mental health issues and long term health conditions