West Berkshire
Parent Carer Forum
Empower and enable your voices to be heard
West Berkshire Parent Carer Forum
Welcome to West Berks Parent Carer Forum!
We are a friendly group of parent carers who have children and young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities aged from 0-25 years.
We want to improve our local services, and by coming together as a collective, we can and do make changes. We love the video below and think the video below explains it perfectly. We are always happy for more people to join us, there’s no charge to join, we are completely free, and we are a relaxed fun group. So if you would like to be part of friendly bunch of people who would like to see SEND changes in West Berkshire, we would love to have you 
As a Forum we can support and train parent carers to enable them to have their voices and opinions count, and to be involved with shaping services alongside the professionals who provide health, education, adult and social services.
Our shared mission is to improve and enhance the experiences and opportunities of children and young people with additional needs, by enabling parents and carers to be heard, and to be at the heart of decisions about development and delivery of services in West Berkshire.
The forum represent the views of the collective community and not an individual voice, we are unable to advocate for individual families, but can signpost to specialist services.
Updates on Facebook
Berkshire Adult Sibling Workshops
Saturday 30th June 2018 9.30am - 4.30pm
Venue in Reading city centre - 10 minute walk from Reading railway station
Cost £10
Sibs has received funding from Berkshire Carers Service to run a series of information and support workshops for adult siblings living in Berkshire, who have a brother or sister who has a life-long learning disability and/or autism. These workshops will be an opportunity for you to meet siblings in similar situations and to gain more information on the practical and legal aspects of taking over the care and support role from your parent – you may already be doing this or thinking about the implications of this in the future.
Who can attend these workshops?
These workshops are for adult siblings of someone with a lifelong learning disability and/or autism. Due to funding restrictions, only adult siblings who live in Berkshire can attend these events.
At Sibs, you can be reassured that we provide a supportive, non-judgemental and confidential workshop environment. Your questions and concerns will be heard by participants and staff who fully understand what life as a sibling is like.
NB We are not able to admit parents, relatives, partners, professionals or other carers to the workshops.
Workshop: Decision-making and the law
My autistic brother is non-verbal – when he goes into hospital, who can consent to treatment on his behalf?
When my parents die, am I legally responsible for making decisions for my sister who has Down syndrome?
My brother has moderate learning disabilities and says ‘yes’ to everything – but he often doesn’t know what he’s saying ‘yes’ to! This really worries me.
When your brother or sister can’t make a decision, who does? Carol McBride, who is a Sibs trustee and a leading lawyer at Hugh Jones Solicitors, joins a Sibs facilitator to provide valuable information on mental capacity laws and to answer your questions on this topic. You will have the opportunity to meet other adult siblings and share experiences. This workshop will focus specifically on decision-making and mental capacity issues – other topics will not be addressed at this event.
Workshop: Managing your brother or sister’s finances
My sister receives direct payments to pay for her support workers. Will this affect her benefits?
My parents want to cut my brother out of their will because he has severe learning disabilities and can’t manage the money. They said we have to look after his share for him. Is this safe?
My brother has Down syndrome. Do I need special permissions to help him manage his money?
Have these questions and more answered at our workshop on managing finances.
Carol McBride, who is a Sibs trustee and a leading lawyer at Hugh Jones Solicitors, joins a Sibs facilitator to answer questions on wills and trusts, benefits, grants and funding. You will have the opportunity to meet other adult siblings and share experiences. This workshop will focus specifically on managing finances – other topics will not be addressed at this event.
You can attend just one workshop or attend for the full day.
Book a place on the Berkshire workshops for adult siblings
www.sibs.org.uk/support-for-adult-siblings/berkshire-adult-sibling-project/
Berkshire adult sibling workshops - Sibs
sibs.org.uk
Information and support workshops for adult siblings living in Berkshire, who have a brother or sister who has a life-long learning disability and/or autism.PDA (pathological demand avoidance) is recognised as a behaviour profile within the autism spectrum.
The PDA Society yesterday held a Day of Action in London calling on the Government for increased support for those affected.
Earlier this year Vanessa Cox, who has eight-year-old twin sons on the spectrum, one of whom has PDA as his profile, formed a PDA Support Group for parents and carers living in and around Reading.
More than 60 families with children diagnosed with PDA or who are thought to fit the profile are now involved.
The group aims to offer advice and support. Members meet up for coffee on a monthly basis in Reading or Tilehurst.
Vanessa has set up a Facebook group - PDA Support Group Reading Berkshire - or she can be contacted by email at
pdagroupreading@gmail.com for more details.
There is also a PDA Support Group for families living in West Berkshire - visit www.westberkspdasupportgroup.co.uk for details of its activities
westberkspdasupportgroup.co.uk
Here you can read all about the group, find details of forthcoming meetings, and find links to some really useful resources and local services that I’ve personally found invaluable. Please click on the menu links above or scroll down to find out more. Hope to see you at a meeting or hear from you ...