MEMBERSHIP

Background to the Forum

In January 2008 a group of parents and carers of disabled children and young people got together with the idea of forming a forum to raise issues regarding the development and direction of services our children and young people access in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Since that first meeting, Waltham Forest Parent Forum (WFPF) has networked within the borough to enable our views to be heard. This has been achieved by contacting key policy makers, inviting them to our meetings and requesting representation on committees or projects involving disability issues.

By the end of 2008, WFPF had become involved in the "Aiming High for Disabled Children" programme and had forged a link with health services to provide feedback on the specialist health services that many of our children and young people access from The Wood Street Health Centre. Over the next two years we continued to take part in consultations involving disability and gained representation on committees in the borough such as home to school transport, special needs education and commissioning. In addtion to this work we also set up a therapeutic support group, ran social events and provided practical workshops and training seminars.

Each year we have developed and offered new activities to suppport and help parents and carers of disabled children and young people which has attracted many new members. WFPF started with just 20 members and today we have over 300 families with disabled children or young people and 250 professionals as members. 2011 is going to be an exciting time for WFPFand therefore we would be delighted if you as a parent, carer, grandparent, relative, friend, professional or anyone who supports a familiy with a disabled child or young person would like to join our group.

  WFPF founder members celebrating our first year in April 2009