Regional and National Involvement
Nottinghamshire Parent Carer Forum is the recognised Parent Carer Forum for Nottinghamshire County.
As well as working locally, NPCF is part of wider regional and national Parent Carer Forum networks. This helps make sure the experiences of Nottinghamshire parent carers can be shared beyond the local area, where this is useful.
Parent carer experiences can highlight local issues, but they can also show wider patterns affecting families across different areas. Being connected regionally and nationally helps NPCF share learning, understand what is happening elsewhere and contribute to wider conversations about SEND policy, practice and improvement.
Why regional and national involvement matters
Regional and national involvement helps NPCF:
- share wider themes from Nottinghamshire parent carers
- learn from other Parent Carer Forums
- understand common issues across different areas
- contribute to regional and national SEND discussions
- bring learning back into our local work
Regional involvement
NPCF is part of the East Midlands Regional Parent Carer Forum network.
This gives Parent Carer Forums across the East Midlands the opportunity to meet, share learning, discuss common issues and hear about work happening in other areas.
These meetings help NPCF understand regional themes and bring learning back into our work with parent carers, services and partners in Nottinghamshire.
National involvement
NPCF is also part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums (NNPCF).
The NNPCF brings together Parent Carer Forums from across England. It works with national organisations and government departments so that parent carer experiences can help inform national SEND policy, practice and improvement work.
Being part of the national network helps make sure that themes from Nottinghamshire families can contribute to wider conversations, alongside the experiences of parent carers from other areas.
Working with Contact and funding
Contact supports Parent Carer Forums through the administration of the Department for Education Parent Carer Participation Grant and provides information, guidance and support to forums.
NPCF receives Parent Carer Participation funding through this national grant programme. This supports our participation work, including gathering parent carer views and sharing wider themes with services and decision-makers.
This funding does not make NPCF part of Contact, the Department for Education, the local authority, health services or any other organisation.
Remaining independent
NPCF remains an independent charity.
We work alongside local, regional and national partners, but we are separate from them. Our role is to make sure wider parent carer experiences from Nottinghamshire are heard clearly and honestly, including where families tell us things are not working well.
