PCVH is a representative independent group. Our strength is in the voice of the community we represent. We aim to support and provide opportunities for the voice of Herefordshire parent carers to be heard at a local and national level. There is clear evidence that the involvement of parent carers in the planning, delivery, and review of services for children and young people with disabilities or additional needs improves the effectiveness of these services. So by getting involved will make a difference. There are several ways that you can get involved.
Keep in touch with us: When you join our mailing list you will be asked for information about your family that will enable us to build up a picture of the community of young people with disabilities or additional needs and their families. This information is important in our discussion with service providers and commissioners and will help to identify the level of need and gaps in provision.
Follow us on Facebook for Daily updates.
Become a PCVH committee member or a parent carer representative: PCVH is a parent carer led organisation and we rely on the support of parent carers for the planning and delivery of our services. Most work is done on a voluntary basis, but expenses can be covered. As a committee member or representative, you will be committed to representing a wide range of views and experience of families of children with disabilities or additional needs and to providing feedback to members on any work areas that you are involved in. Training and support will be provided for all committee members and representatives. Whenever possible we allocate two representatives to each work area to ensure diversity in experience and to provide support to each other. Representatives often choose to get involved in work areas that are particularly relevant to their own family’s experience and you can become a parent carer representative at any point in the year. PCVH committee members are elected annually at the yearly AGM held each year. If you are interested in becoming a PCVH committee member or parent carer representative contact us VIA email admin@pcvherefordshire.com
Share your experiences and views:
Participate in consultations and surveys. We will regularly ask for your views on topics around disability and additional needs. These consultations and surveys may be about local or national issues, but it is always important to share your views. These opportunities offer you the chance to influence the decisions that impact on your family and to improve services for all families of young people with disabilities or additional needs. Sometimes consultations will take the form of paper or online questionnaires but there will also be opportunities offered by PCVH for parent carers to discuss and explore individual issues at consultation, information, and training events.
Please Click here to see a list of current consultations, surveys, and events.
You can also approach us with any feedback you have on the services you use or feel would be beneficial to your family. If you have been supported by a service that has been beneficial to your family it is important to share that good practice, so that effective ways of working can be shared across services where appropriate. If you have concerns about a service and you feel that improvements need to be made, we can support a dialogue with the organisation that funds and /or delivers the services, to discuss how a service can be improved.