Meet the Team behind LPCF

I have grown up twins; one with Cerebral Palsy (CP).

From November 2007 to 2016 I served as Vice Chair before taking up the chairs position.

The best bit about LPCF for me is supporting parents, giving them lots of information and organising events for them to gain as much information as possible. This relates to the fact that when my daughter was diagnosed I was given little information about Cerebral Palsy and I became a regular at the library, reading anything and everything I could!!

My pet hate - for me it has to be meetings that don't achieve an outcome.

My strengths -organisational skills, patience!

My weaknesses -have a constant chimp on my shoulder!

What the LPCF has given me? More confidence in my own abilities, feeling of belonging and that I am not alone, helpful strategies through the parent's workshops and lots of useful information!

What I have learnt along the way - it's useful to have a sense of humour and be able to laugh at yourself and believe you me, I have had plenty of opportunity!!

My name is Lorraine and I am a retired Community Midwife. I am carer for my eleven year old Grandson who has complex needs including ASD, ADHD, learning delay and attachment disorder.

My decision to join the volunteer team was based on the brilliant work they do, being the voice of carers and organising signposting and information days.

What I can offer is a knowledge of the NHS and how Health Organisations can impact of families facing the many and varied challenges our children give us on a daily basis

Originally I went to one of the LPCF coffee mornings when my youngest child went to primary school and offered to do some voluntary work for the group.

I now attend many meetings, meet with Service Providers, Local Authority, Workshops, large events and I am still learning new things, as well as helping other Parent/Carers by letting them know what information/support is out there for them.

Currently I support 2 coffee mornings and meet many like minded people.

My background was in Community nursing.

I am a mum of 3 girls and the eldest is a young adult with Severe Learning Difficulties, complex needs and GDD and after 11 years of asking was diagnosed with ASD.

My child has the mental age of a 5/6 year old, inside a young adult body which presents many challenging problems now and in the future.

My name is Carol and I am a Grandma of a child with Cerebral Palsy. I joined the LPCF in 2012 as they help to support families of children with disabilities around Lincolnshire.

I help them by giving practical help at their Parent Workshops and Information events and help to sustain them through fundraising by joining their lottery club.
I enjoy baking cakes for the events.

I love being part of their group and have learnt a lot about being part of a family with extra challenges.

I am a parent of three children, one of whom has a diagnosis of ASD.

My background is in nursing.

Since 2011 I have attended the LPCF Coffee Events, on and off before deciding to volunteer to help other parents and let them know they are not alone.

I have two girls Chloe and Emma who are both now adults. One of the reasons I wanted to become a Trustee of this wonderful group is because of the support they offered me over the years as one of my children has a genetic disorder.

Also, I wanted to offer my experience as an Early Years Teacher especially with my skills and knowledge relating to the challenges faced by children and their families.

The social side of LPCF is something I love, getting the opportunity to chat with like minded people and not forgetting the delicious cakes that are always on offer from the marvellous Carol.

As a retired Children's Services worker of 30 years I initially came across LPCF by providing their Website and DataBase management, although I was aware of their existence previously.

In my past life I worked within Youth Centres and Careers Centres and was always on a mission to address Discrimination and Equality, especially having experienced its impact on people within my life.

At 15 my stepson was suddenly, diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and it was a game changer for all concerned.

There were positives to report, and the school was excellent as are his current employers but the effects of such a change were, at times challenging, as all around had to adapt, change and learn.

Moving on to the present I now have a partner with a child with CP whom I enjoy and treasure. A genuine hidden gem ! !

But in becoming involved with my partner, my understanding of Disability and the snowdrift of bureaucratic tape which one has to navigate came more to light.

Quite definitely, my eyes were stretched wide open by the challenges, even more as I came to realise the enormity of raising disabled youngsters even into their adulthood.

The main difficulties of raising a child with disabilities, in my view, are often not the disability, they are the hurdles and hoops parents have to overcome to get even the most basic movement from providers and the lack of co-ordination between services run by professionals

And so it was I have chosen to volunteer to assist and help Parent Carers.

If I have one appeal to these who read it is that LPCF's funding is partially based upon its membership numbers so PLEASE EVERYONE, make sure you get people registered AND make sure you update your details every 2- 3years.

We are parents to two beautiful children.

After researching on the internet support groups for children with special needs, we came across the Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum.

William visited the next coffee morning in Louth and was pleased to meet a group of like minded parents in a relaxed atmosphere over coffee. Our main interest in the forum at the time was people's own experiences of getting a statement and transition from primary to secondary school.

Since then, we have attended some very useful and informative workshops about the changes to the SEN system due to take place in September 2014.

As parents, we have made new friends, who understand and have similar experiences to ourselves, we have become much more informed and confident in what the future holds for our children as a result of being part of the Lincolnshire Parent Carer Forum and as a result now want to help and support other parents.

The forum is a valuable voluntary group which provides a vital link for parents who at times may feel isolated and not listened to.

Please See

Michelle's Profile

As I have a disability myself I know how important it is to be able to access the help and support that LPCF provide for parents and carers.

This is why I offered to volunteer for LPCF.

My previous experience of being Co Chair of Lincolnshire Young Voices has enabled me to use my lived experience of having a disability to get the voices of people with disabilities heard.

You will hopefully see me out and about with the LPCF stand!
Come say hello!

As I have been a carer for my sister all my life I am acutely aware of the importance of LPCF and the fact there is an organisation that parents can join to navigate them through the journey of parenting a child with SEND.

My background is one of caring and I am a qualified teacher.

I devote my spare time to helping proof read LPCF's many documents and like to help albeit in the background.