A collaborative project Empowering parents and carers A collaborative project

Main aims of the project To provide a wider reach to parents and carers To contact and work with ‘harder to reach parents and carers’ in and through areas such as: Parent partnerships Disadvantaged areas A range of ethnic communities

Main work areas Communication with parents using various media Drop-in surgeries and workshops Virtual Learning site (Moodle) for supporting parents Build networking links with other parent networks and organisations ‘Parent/Carer Champions’

Consultation To consult with parents/carers – asking what they would like to see in the proposed surgeries, types of venues, locations etc. Through questionnaires, forum events Partner organisations’ experience through helplines, contact with parents, trainers etc.

Deliver Drop-in surgeries and workshops in a variety of locations and venues in a number of areas of the country Aim – to reach more parents and carers outside of the school environment

Drop-in Surgeries cont. Areas identified for surgeries: London (Springboard Centres – Kingswood Federation School, Oasis Centres) Manchester (Springboard Sure Start connections) Leicester Surrey/Hampshire Yorkshire and Humberside Norwich South East Surrey Darlington/Teesside Bristol

Drop-in Surgeries cont. In each area, apart from London and Manchester, where the model may be slightly different: One weekday, evening surgery One full Saturday Venues: We are looking at: Church halls Supermarkets Libraries Sure Start Centres

Moodle MOODLE stands for Modular Object Orientated Dynamic Learning Environment MOODLE Is an open-source learning software Enables users to interact with published materials and each other to create a community of learners Is easy to update, manage and edit Liz

What does Moodle mean for us? MOODLE will act as a trustworthy library of information to help parents and carers to support children with dyslexia. MOODLE will be a network of support for those parents and carers through forums, blogs and profiles. MOODLE is easy to edit and add to, allowing for the information to be kept up-to-date as our understanding grows.

What does MOODLE look like?

What does MOODLE look like?

To build a network of Parent and Carer Champions who will: Be passionate about supporting parents and promoting improved outcomes for children with dyslexia and specific learning difficulties. Provide a vital ‘grass roots voice’ to feedback into the sector highlighting what works well at the moment and providing positive insights to help shape the future. Tim

Beat at the heart of their local communities (real and virtual) - disseminating information and providing a practical presence building relationships and creating strong links with parents, professionals, schools, parent groups, hospitals, churches, charities etc … Empower parents and carers to make a contribution within the SpLD field through partnering organisations and parent networks.

“As a mum whose own child has difficulties, becoming a Parent Champion is not only a great way for me to keep up to date with things that could be relevant to him, but also to keep others in my community in the loop and get my views heard by the decision makers operating in this area.” Abida, Parent Champion (Number 1!)

Parent/Carer Champions How? Professional 2 parent Surgeries & workshops Building of partnerships with parent networks Profile through DST partners organisations Moodle Parent 2 parent Website badges and offline promotion Online parenting sites (e.g. Mumsnet) Virtual community (Facebook, Twitter) Local evangelism Parent Forums Register your interest today!