Welcome to LPCF

Before starting it is critical to note a couple of important founding principles –

To sign up with the LPCF membership parent carers must either live in Lincolnshire or have a child educated / in training in Lincolnshire.

LPCF sign up by parent carers does not require that children need a formal diagnosis as many are undergoing investigation or their issues are not easily categorised e.g. behaviour, mental health, etc. Sign Up

LPCF are a pan-disability organisation i.e. we focus on ALL disabilities and not on any particular one.

We are an independent charity focused on our members although we do interact with others such as professionals and organisations to progress towards our goals.

Whilst LPCF’s key role is dealing with information and data we are very strict about protecting personal data and do not share it with anyone unless full consent is given. In fact our personal membership data is only ever seen by two people – our registered ICO data controller and data processor.

Currently our team of Trustees and Volunteers consists almost entirely of parent carers with only two specialists amongst our Trustees who have highly desirable skills, being a solicitor and a qualified grant finder. Both have experience with disability and community working.

With that understood -
LPCF’s main role is to gather the views and experiences of parent carers and compile parental feedback which it uses to represent members views at numerous meetings and working groups involving the Local Authority (LA), NHS / Health and others including the Department for Education (DfE) and OFSTED.

As part of this information and data gathering we also –

• Provide a substantial and informative website.


• Provide signposting and networking opportunities for parent carers via our website, email, Facebook, telephone etc.


• Offer workshops for parent carers and or professionals on key subjects. These are usually driven by parental feedback and need e.g. behaviour, toileting, mental health, parental skills and knowledge etc. Events


• Provide a Parents ONLY Facebook page for registered parents to offer their views / experiences or to ask for help and guidance from LPCF or other parents. Highly recommended! Parents ONLY FB


• Provide the truly amazing FREE "Week of SEND" (WoS) each January which brings together around 60-80 organisations / services delivering 25 sessions over a huge week long Zoom fest to allow parent carers (and professionals) to hear what is on offer, ask questions, and attend specialist workshops. (Not to be missed !!!) Week of SEND


• Hold regular Time to Talk sessions via Zoom where parent carers can meet team members and network with other parent carers to ask questions or share experiences etc. Events


• Seek to identify good practice and celebrate where services or organisations have excelled through our “Excellence Awards” website system where our team vote every 6 months on a winner from nominations submitted by registered parents.Award Nomination


• Give parent carers the opportunity to provide feedback (good, bad or just commentary) via our “Your Say” system.Your Say


• Offer Max Cards (discount cards for parents of children with SEND up to 25) as an incentive for registered parents who participate and engage in workshops, WoS etc. Max Card


• Gather, analyse and prepare data from feedback to present to service providers to demonstrate where services are working well and where they have need for change, improvement or expansion. Documents Library

Firstly and most importantly – be registered – its FREE! Sign Up
(we need membership numbers to seek grants so even if you are not using us now – stay registered and who knows when you may need to seek help again! Also you may miss out on events notices such as workshops).


• Read our monthly update email delivered to your inbox. We think they are easy read and quick to scan through as your time is precious.


• Join our 1100+ parentson our Parents ONLY Facebook page but always remember to check in on the website as it has even more information etc available e.g. listings of organisations, websites etc. Parents ONLY FB


• Take part in “Time to Talk” sessions, Workshops, Surveys etc as they help both you and us to make improvements for the future via your feedback. Network and share your own learning from your own experiences with others. We are all at different stages of our SEND journey and through networking can help others avoid pitfalls or perhaps explore solutions we have discovered.Events


• Attend workshops where you will gain skills and knowledge as well as build your own confidence and resilience to become your own family powerhouse. Events


• Use the “Your Say” system to offer your views and opinions or the “Excellence Award” system to give praise where praise is due (we know from the nominees just how much it means to them and their school / organisation). Your Say


• Participate and engage with LPCF via the various avenues above as well as surveys and consultations – your views and experiences really matter. Consultations


• Help us fundraise by registering with Easy Fundraising Or perhaps put in a word for us if you know anyone considering looking to donate to a good cause etc.


• LPCF now have parental access to workforce development (WFD) E-learning. To register you have to be a member of LPCF WFD)


• Want to find out what LPCF volunteers do to represent your views, how they help to promote change etc please see the representing parents page


• LPCF think it is important to hear from the professionals too who address the important themes that come up in the parents voice reports, survey etc – see the Feedback from professionals page


• Max Cards - LPCF provided these discount cards for FREE to members who undertake certain events / activities. Full details about applying are at .
  We always love feeedback about where cards have been used and the experiences parents have using the cards plus it provides evidence to grant funders so we can keep them going. See where some parents have used them an how they rated the venues or submit your own feedback .


• Remember parent carers are “experts by experience” and LPCF are here to listen to you and represent the views of our 3600+ members. Make your voice heard!

• In the pocket of the Local Authority or Health (we are fiercely independent).


• A campaign / protest group (our charity / grant conditions forbid this).


• A support group - although we do provide lots of signposting / workshops and bring people together to network and learn.


• An advocacy service working on individual cases (though we absolutely do want to hear your experiences and can raise those with providers of services).


• A formal or informal information or advice service (check out the LCC Local offer and Liaise who provide free legal advice to Lincs parents).


• Not here to fill a gap in service/s.


• When we meet a challenging issue, we will work cooperatively together with planners, commissioners and providers of services to imagine, design and deliver better services

2006 - Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum (LPCF) was originally formed by a small group of parents seeking to improve the SEND landscape and services in Lincolnshire. (2 original members remain today as Trustees).

2011 - Having added a significant number of parent carers, the group needed to create a formal structure to manage the growing numbers and apply for grants etc. and it registered as a Charity for members.

2014 - The Children and Families Act was passed.

2015 - The SEND Code of Practice (COP) was passed and became the legal operational practice which still exists today (currently being reviewed). SEND COP
The COP also formally acknowledged Parent Carer Forums which would exist in each County to represent the views and experiences of Parent Carers and with whom service providers should work with to help monitor, design and deliver services.

2022 - Today LPCF currently has registered over 3,600 parent carers - 700+ settings / organisations - over 800+ professionals / volunteers whom we regularly engage with via email.

Achievements
People sometimes ask what we have achieved over the years and we are pleased to say we have a rolling record going back to 2011 of our Achievements. Achievements

SEND Strategy 2018-2023
One of the major pieces of work underaken in recent years has been the Transforming SEND programme or to give it the full title "Building Communities of Specialist Provision for Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities in Lincolnshire".

This started back in 2017 and devised a major plan in 2018 to improve provision for SEND children.
After consultation including parents in 2018 LCC offered to invest £86m dedicated to funding Capital (building) improvements in Special Schools to enable them to hopefully meet "All Needs" in a childs local school.

Work is progressesing well and the five year development roll out is on track to conclude in 2023 or soon thereafter (despite Covid). SEND Strategy - FULL details