What we do

Parent Carers' Council (PaCC)

The Parent Carers' Council (PaCC) is a city-wide group for all parent carers who are responsible for children and young people with special needs including ongoing health conditions, physical disabilities and learning disabilities. This group has been formed to enable parent carers of children with any condition to work closely together to help improve services and support. They have a steering committee that meets every two months, a chair person, a wider membership of 160 parent carers and seven partner organisations: Barnardos Link Plus; Extratime; Kaleidoscope; Mascot; Pebbles; the Portage and Befriending Service; and Sweet Peas.

Parent carers working together in Brighton and Hove

Their aim ... is to work together to represent the widest number of parent carers possible, and to participate in representing other parents on various boards that can effect change in services provided across the city.

They believe ... that working together we can make our voices heard and raise other people's awareness of our children's needs and recognition of our role as parent carers. Together our views and experiences can be received more clearly and strongly.

They include ... everyone with parental responsibility (parents, grandparents, foster parents and others) of children with any learning difficulties, those with ongoing or complex health needs, and those with physical or mental disabilities from across the city.

They offer training and support ... and opportunities to make your family's experience understood, as well as taking a full part in decision making processes.

The Parent Carers' Council is supported by a Parent Participation Worker who is employed by Amaze. If you would like to join, they would be delighted to hear from you. Your involvement need only be by contributing your experience and ideas through brief telephone or postal surveys or attending one-off events around issues that are relevant to you and your family's needs.

Together we can be stronger and make a real difference to the lives of our children.

Join the Parent Carers' Council by calling the Amaze helpline on 772289 or e-mail pacc@amazebrighton.org.uk

PaCC Terms of Reference

Date: 05.03.2009
Format: pdf - 245kb

Parent Carer Partnership Charter

The PaCC has played an important part in working with Brighton & Hove City Council to create a Parent Carer Partnership Charter. The document sets out the relationship between local services and parents by making it clear the level of service parents can expect and the contribution they can make.