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Value of service user involvement
Deaf Parenting UKDPUK – the independent organisation Deaf Parenting UK – celebrated its fifth anniversary with a party on 19 May at the Frank Barnes School for Deaf Children in London. Deaf parents, friends and families, Deaf organisations and service professionals attended the event. Children and staff at Frank Barnes School and DPUK’s staff and board members worked together to make the event a day to remember. Filling the service gapSabina Iqbal, Chair and founder of DPUK, gave the opening speech and talked about the vital role DPUK can take in filling the gap in services for Deaf parents and Deaf parents-to-be. She also looked back and reviewed DPUK’s achievements over its first five years, and set out a vision of DPUK’s future. The children of Frank Barnes School – positive role models for Deaf children – gave a brief speech about DPUK and received tremendous applause and waving of hands. They presented Sabina with a hand-made ‘happy anniversary’ card to commemorate DPUK’s fifth year milestone. Deaf parenting skills courseNicole Campbell, herself a Deaf parent and DPUK Co-ordinator, then gave a report on the success of DPUK’s Deaf parenting skills courses. She also described a new development: this offers an opportunity for Deaf parents to become qualified trainers and run DPUK parenting skills courses. This training opportunity project is run in partnership with Parentline Plus, a national charity that works for and with parents. Parentline Plus is training nine successful applicants from across the UK to become qualified Deaf parenting skills course trainers. It is an exciting new venture and training sessions will take place over six days. On completion of the training, the newly recruited trainers will then deliver Deaf parenting skills courses to Deaf parents within their local area. DPUK sought applicants from all over the UK so that we can reflect the diversity of the Deaf families we serve when delivering parenting skills workshops. Nicole explained: “As Deaf parents, we often feel we are on trial and have to prove that we are perfect; we believe we have to show that we can cope. It is a liberating feeling to know that we aren’t the only people in this situation. At the end of the day, whether or not you feel you need support, there is help at hand from DPUK. We can provide information, advice, peer support and contact with other Deaf parents”. DPUK ran a series of parenting skills workshops in south east London in September, and more are planned for early next year. For more information about parenting skills workshops please contact Nicole Campbell, DPUK Co-ordinator at deaf-parenting @hotmail.co.uk Newsletter and logo launchWe took the opportunity to launch our new logo. On a serious note, the logo has just been incorporated into our new-style newsletter. On a fun note, everyone enjoyed anniversary cakes decorated with the new logo, a novel way to launch a new corporate identity! Please contact the DPUK Co-ordinator if you would like to contribute an article to the next newsletter. If you would like to be on the mailing list for the newsletter, please send your e-mail or fullpostal address. Everyone left the launch party armed with information leaflets, DPUK’s first newsletter and flyers taken from the DPUK information stall. Contact detailsFor more information about DPUK please e-mail: deaf-parenting@hotmail.co.uk SMS: 07789 027186 DPN scoops new award for user involvementDisabled Parents Network (DPN), the national disabled parents peer support network, celebrated winning the Maureen Oswin memorial award at the Community Care Awards in December 2005. DPN’s Disabled Parents Support Service was short-listed from over 400 applications. The award (which came with £8,000 prize money) was given to the project demonstrating the best service user involvement. The purpose of the support service is to provide a non-directive, confidential, listening, support and information service for all disabled parents and their supporters. This is provided by disabled parent volunteers who give peer support, information and advice, working set shifts from home. A central telephone number redirects calls to them. This works extremely well for disabled parents, who may find it difficult to travel or to undertake paid work alongside their family commitments. Many of DPN’s volunteers, through their own personal experience, have faced a lack of information and support, and are keen to assist those who contact the support service who have had similar experiences. At DPN’s four recent Disabled Parents Consultation Events, new disabled parent volunteers came forward, keen to play a part in the support service. Enquiries to the support service come primarily from disabled parents, but also from the media, medical and social care professionals, and those in the voluntary sector working alongside disabled parents. The rapid development of the service follows the appointment of part-time Support Service Development Worker, Heather Andrew, in September 2005. Her role includes arranging and delivering training to potential volunteers as well as providing on-going support to existing volunteers. The training aims to standardise the service so that every enquirer receives the same standard of response whichever volunteer they speak to. It clarifies for the volunteers the parameters of the service – what DPN can and can’t help with – not raising enquirers’ expectations about what the service can provide. Training helps to give volunteers confidence and includes the chance to work together on case studies. Weekend training sessions give volunteers the chance to meet one another face to face for the first time and for many it is also their first opportunity to meet Heather Andrew. A Support Service Handbook has been created and issued to all the Support Service Volunteers, which is already proving an invaluable tool in assisting them to deal with enquiries efficiently and effectively. Simone Baker, Vice Chair, DPN |
Service user involvement is a key theme on this spread. Deaf Parenting UK describes its new training opportunity for Deaf parents to become qualified trainers who can run its Deaf parenting skills courses. And we feature DPN’s award-winning Disabled Parents Support Service, run by and for disabled parents.