Parents Forum

As part of our co-designing and co-production approach to delivering a responsive and efficient person-centred support services that meets the needs of our service-users in our communities, and our parent and family support services, Dimobi Parents’ Forum is a growing peer-to-peer support network of many parents and carers of children and young people with learning disabilities and special education needs.

The forum runs meetings and training workshops for parents to empower them to access the information and skills they need to better support their families. Anyone who is looking after a child or young person with special needs (who lives or goes to school) is welcome to join the Forum, either as a regular or occasional visitor. We will make you welcome, and you can be involved in our activities as much as you want. Carers represented in the Forum include parents, foster and adoptive parents, grandparents, adult siblings, aunts and uncles. The Forum is facilitated by parents with children with special and complex needs who openly share their lived and living experiences so that, others can learn from them.

Often in our Parents’ Forum various stakeholders are invited to the meeting for shared learning and lessons learnt through our interactive peer support groups are used to collaboratively monitor, evaluate and create our unique and tailored support services and toolkits that has made our services to continue to be effective and impactful in creating and improving outcomes while meeting the needs of people in our communities.

How does the service work?

Dimobi Parents Forum offers a great chance to meet other parents and to get, and give, feedback on important issues.

The Forum meetings are welcoming, informative and supportive. Parent workshops on a range of topics run during the meeting. Examples of parent workshops include:

Fighting Denial

Denial is a major problem faced by most parents in the community. It can result in setbacks for all children with disabilities.

Financial Support Service

Raising a child with learning disabilities is often challenging, financially, emotionally, and physically. With the increasing number of children with learning disabilities residing in our area, it is more important than ever that they are able to access support services.

Basic Support Services

To enable parents meeting to make their views known to service providers and find out what support and services children and families need and to ensure that good practice, knowledge, and shared expertise about parent participation continues to grow and strengthen.

Early Intervention

We recognise the importance of early intervention as crucial in reducing the occurrence of emotional and behavioural difficulties. There are close links between early disadvantages and poor life outcomes, all of which can be broken by providing all children, regardless of ability, with equal opportunities. For this reason, giving every child with disabilities the best start in life is our highest priority. Etc.

The Forum works closely with local education, health, social care to improve the quality and accessibility of services for all disabled children and their families.

We do this by ensuring parent’s views are integral to the strategic development of local services for children and young people with special needs. This is done by consulting with the parents.

Who is the service for?

Any parents or carers with children with special needs. Parents or carers who are interested in learning about disabilities etc. are also welcome.

This service is free.

Availability

The Dimobi Parents Forum meets every Tuesday and includes forum meetings with guest speakers from, workshops and informal, parent only sessions. Parents Forum meeting every Tuesday 10.30 am to 1:00 pm, 118 Riverpark Road, Newton Heath, M40 2XP

How to access this service

If you are interested in any of our activities or would like to find out more, please contact us using the details below.

Tel : 0161 937 5332

Mobile: 07449 855 028

Email :info@dimobitrust.org.uk

You can also visit our Facebook @ www.facebook.com/www.dimobitrust.org.uk  to find out more.

What parents say about Dimobi Parents Forum

"The Special Parents Forum is my one-stop shop for essential information."

"This is such a fantastic Forum, a true lifeline."

"I like the mutual support, the massive knowledge and the opportunity to explore issues.

"It helps me keep up to date on relevant information and express my views. It enables me to meet other parents and it gives me the opportunity to volunteer to be on working parties which discuss changes relevant to children."