Liverpool City Council - Parent partnership

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The Parent Partnership Service

Who we are

Parent Partnership are here to help if you are a parent/ carer of a child aged birth-19 and you either believe your child has Special Educational Needs (SEN) or you have been informed that your child has SEN.

The service exists to ensure that parents' views and concerns are represented fully.

The aim of  the service is to help empower parents and ensure that they have the information, confidence and support needed to make informed decisions about their child's education. We can accept referrals from any source but will only become involved if parents want our help.

We aim to provide friendly and helpful support to parents in a professional manner. We are willing to listen and to be there on the end of the phone or at appointments in our office for information and support.

Parent Partnership Service Specifications. September 2007 (PDF [75.9Kb] opens in new window)

Impartial Information and Confidential Advice

We are an impartial and confidential service funded by the LA. All LAs have a duty to make this service available to parents. 

Our impartiality is monitored by the Parent Partnership Advisory Group, which is made up of parents, voluntary bodies and statutory services.

Advisory Group Remit: January 2007 (PDF [24.8Kb] opens in new window)

Advisory Group Job Description for Members: January 2007 (PDF [23.9Kb] opens in new window)

It is important that parents have trust and confidence in our service and we take this responsibility seriously. All information given to us is kept in strictest confidence. We maintain confidentiality. 

We will only disclose information to others with the permission of the parent, unless a child's safety is at risk.

How We Can Help

We can provide help by:

Providing accurate, neutral information on:

  • parents' rights, roles and responsibilities within the SEN process, including statutory assessment
  • the SEN Code of Practice 2001 and other laws and guidance on SEN and Disability
  • professionals' roles
  • the wide range of options available to parents
  • parents' groups and voluntary organizations                                              
  • Providing regular information sessions for parents, both at the office and in other places - bring a friend!*

  • Having someone to deal with enquiries quickly with our telephone helpline*

  • Offering appointments at the office (our Parent Time Appointments) to help assist with letters and forms, helping parents understand paperwork and reports and preparing parents for meetings at schools, including Annual Reviews* 

  • Offering training to other professionals and voluntary groups to help them to help you with SEN issues

  • Issuing our newsletter every month so you find out about events you can take part in, news about SEN that you may not read elsewhere, etc. 

  • Using our Independent Parental Supporters to provide information and support to parents (see later) 

  • In exceptional circumstances working with some parents on an individual basis - but we will only have a small number of cases at a time and we will aim to provide help by other means if possible.                                                        

* We are doing some of this work outside normal office hours, to help parents who aren't available during the day.


Information

We have a lot of information available for parents, some of which is translated into other community languages. If you would like further information on what we can provide please contact us on 0151 233 2848 or 
email: Parentpartnership@liverpool.gov.uk

Our range of leaflets are available to download below: