Archives for 2018
New voice for parents in Oxfordshire
Press Release for Relaunch
26 October 2018 Press release
The new Parent Carer forum for Oxfordshire will be launching on 8 November at the OXFSN ‘Better Together Event’.
The forum has been set up by a group of parents with children who have special education needs (SEN) to work with Oxfordshire County Council and the local NHS to help improve services for children with SEN.
As members of the National Network of Parent Carer Forum’s we will support the development of parent carer participation, a process in which parents work together with professionals to make improvements to local services.
We believe that ‘Every Child Matters’ and that all disabled children and young people in Oxfordshire, should have access to the same opportunities, experiences and information , as any other child.
Julia Stackhouse, Co-Chair of the Oxfordshire parent carer forum said ‘Our Vision is to be a well informed, connected and empowered community of families of children with disabilities or additional needs. We want to build links with as many informal and formal groups both those of parents and professionals so that we can work in partnership with health, education and social care to create quality services that meet the needs of all parent carers and their children/young people’.
Stephanie Harrison, Co-Chair of the Oxfordshire parent carer forum added ‘If anyone has parental responsibility for a child or young person with additional needs or a disability, who is aged between birth and 25 years old and lives in Oxfordshire, please join us and share your experiences so that we can strive to improve services in Oxfordshire’.
The forum and its representative will aim to provide reasoned feedback and support to professionals and ensure young people and their families are listened to. End.
Notes to editors:For further information about the forum, please contact:
Tel: 07394 735666
Email: info@oxpcf.org.uk
Web: www.oxpcf.org.uk
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/oxpcf/
Twitter: @OxPCForum
Instagram: ox_parentcarers_forum
Address: c/o OXFSN Slade House, Horspath Driftway, HEADINGTON, Oxford OX3 7JH
- National network of parent carer forums: http://www.nnpcf.org.uk/ The National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF) is the independent national voice of parent carer forums.
- In partnership with OXFSN https://www.oxfsn.org.uk/ Oxfordshire Family Support Network (OxFSN) is a not-for-profit organisation run by and for family carers of people with learning disabilities – both children and adults.
Better Together Event
Thursday 8th November
from 10.00 am – 3.00 pm
@ the Kassam Stadium
Oxford.
This will be your opportunity to sit round the table with key people involved in both children and adult services from the learning disability sector to talk about What’s working, What’s not working on issues that you have told us are important to you. We would like to invite family carers, professionals, support providers (including those who provide the day-to-day support) and people who use services. Even if you can only make some of the event we would still like to hear from you.
This event is free of charge but as we only have a limited number of places BOOKING IS ESSENTIAL, see flyer: Better Together Event
Embolden Newsletter July 2018
Welcome to our July 2018 Em.Bold.en newsletter. This is a regular update to let you know what we’ve been doing and planned events for 2018.
The Embolden project (funded by Comic Relief) was started to give a strong voice for older families who have relatives with learning disabilities to influence decision makers, hold them to account and improve services.
Examples of Disability Related Expenditure
Disability Related Expenditure
Contributing to the cost of your care – is a 25% allowance enough?
Anyone with a personal budget and claiming DLA (Disability Living Allowance) or PIP (Personal Independence Payment) will no doubt by now have received a letter from Oxfordshire Adult Social Care telling them what their new contribution towards the cost of their care will be.
This means that from the 1st October the amount that you are expected to pay towards the cost of your care services may have either increased or decreased depending on what you previously paid. OCC will no longer carry out an individual face to face financial assessment of your income and savings unless requested. Instead they will send out forms for individuals to provide details of their income and savings. They will deduct 25% of the care element of either DLA (Disability Living Allowance) or PIP (Personal Independence Payment) to allow you to keep part of this benefit to help towards any extra costs you may have due to your disability.
The care act statutory guidance says that the council must leave you with enough money “to pay for necessary disability-related expenditure to meet any needs which are not being met by the local authority”. If you feel that your disability related expenditure is more then 25% each month then you can request a visit from the Financial Assessment team to ask for an individual assessment.
They can be contacted on 01865 323642 or FinancialAssessmentTeam@Oxfordshire.gov.uk
Read the document for examples of Disability Related Expenditure:
Disability_Related_Expenditure