PSP News 2008
Sept 2008 - The 'Walk in Our Shoes' Autism Awareness Event
The ‘Walk in Our Shoes’ autism awareness event takes place at the beginning of December. Parents and carers have invited key influencers such as MPs, councillors, and local authority officers to spend some time with them and their families. Some families are planning for key influencers to accompany them on a trip to the supermarket, the library, or on a walk home from school. The aim of the event is to promote awareness and understanding of autism, which affects 1 in 100 school aged children. Participating in this event will provide local decision makers with an insight into the complexities of daily life for families of children and young people with autism.
MPs , councillors and others will be able to understand the barriers that children with autism often face, as well as the positive aspects of autism. Parents and carers hope to highlight the significant contribution that children and young people with autism can make to society when given the correct education, support and guidance.
The event will run from 1 December 2008, to coincide with ‘International Day of Person’s with Disabilities’ and hopes to mobilise support for the dignity, rights and well-being of children and young people with autism and their families.
For further information on the ‘Walk in Our Shoes’ campaign event please phone 0208 815 5443, or email the PSP
August 2008 - Parent Support project launch National Survey
The Parent Support Project is re-launching its national survey to capture parents’ views of autism education locally and nationally. The national survey asks for the views of parents and carers on aspects of provision for children with autism. This information will be used to inform electronic reports, showing how each of the ten project local authorities are performing against the national picture.
The survey has been re-launched in an electronic format. The greater survey responses received from each project area (Birmingham, Ealing, Havering, Lambeth, Lincolnshire, Medway, Oldham, Poole, Redcar and Cleveland, Staffordshire) the richer and more representative the statistical data collected to inform the reports will be.
Please visit Survey Monkey to complete the survey for your Local Authority area.
All parents who complete the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win a copy of ‘Constructive Campaigning for Autism Services – the PACE parents handbook’. In order to enter the draw parents must answer the first question on the survey so that they can be identified. This question is optional and these personal details will only be used to identify the winner of the draw.
The deadline for responses is Friday 5th September 2008
July 2008 - Parent Support Project presentation well received by the Department of Children, Schools and Families!
The TreeHouse Constructive Campaigning Parent Support Project (PSP) and Director of Development and Public Affairs gave a 40 minute presentation to the Special Educational Needs and Disability Division at the DCSF on 9 July 2008. The presentation was given to 20 team members, and included Deputy Director Hardip Begol, Nigel Fulton the Team Leader for SEN Framework and Data Team.
The PSP is a three year project which is supported by the DCSF and other funders until 2009. The project team is working with ten parent and carer groups in different local authorities across England, supporting them to devise and deliver constructive campaigns, and put them at the centre of improving autism education.
The presentation included video footage of Steve McGuinness, lead parent for the Lincolnshire support group CAPAAS; and Gayna Simmonds, lead parent for the Medway support group MAGIC. This footage allowed parents to express ideas and opinions of different constructive campaigning techniques, and how employing them locally has affected their relationships with the Local Authority.
The presentation was well received by the DCSF audience, and was followed by a question and answer session. The PSP team are now looking forward to the third and final year of the project and to supporting empowered and sustainable parent campaigning groups.
June 2008 - Children and Young People Now piece featuring PSP groups RAGS, and CAPAAS
The latest issue of Children and Young People Now includes an article on the Constructive Campaigning Parent Support Project, featuring both RAGS and CAPAAS. The article comments on the fight that parents and carers often face to secure appropriate educational provision for children and young people with autism. The Government recently approached Brian Lamb, Chair of the Special Educational Consortium, to look at ways to increase parents' confidence in the Special Educational Needs assessment system. The TreeHouse Constructive Campaigning Parent Support Project is highlighted as a successful model for parent participation, which contributes to the level of parents' confidence in the SEN system. The article includes examples of constructive campaigning in both Lincolnshire and Havering, with interviews with the group leaders Anne Myatt and Steve McGuinness. Please read the full CYPN article for more information.
May 2008 - Annual Parent's Seminar at TreeHouse
TreeHouse welcomed eighteen parents and carers of children with autism, from 
across England for the second annual Constructive Campaigning Parent Support Project seminar in March 08. All parent participants belong to autism support groups, who are aiming to improve autism education within their local authority.
The two day seminar encouraged attendees to share their experiences as 'constructive campaigners', review their group’s trials and triumphs, and increase their understanding of influencing local and national government.
The successes of the groups include being invited to join Special Educational Needs working groups and forums at all levels, and delivering autism awareness training to a variety of audiences.
Following the event in March, The Parents' and Carers' Seminar Report 2008 is now available online - please feel free to download a copy.
April 2008 - Parent Support Project 'Autism Awareness Calendar 2008'
TreeHouse Parent Support Project (PSP) autism awareness calendar for 2008 has received an amazingly positive response. The calendar helps teachers and children in mainstream and special schools improve their relationships with pupils with autism.
The twelve key messages suggest ways to communicate effectively with children with autism, for example ‘Keep your language simple and positive. Tell me what to do instead of what not to do.’ The PSP Manager, Liz Osman commented: “These messages were inspired by families affected by autism. Parents and carers are the experts in communicating with their children. We hope, through the calendar, we can pass on their ideas to help teachers and others communicate more effectively in school.”
A 2007 survey by the National Union of Teachers found only 30% of teachers felt confident working with children with autism. The calendar includes tips and strategies which can be used by all school staff working with children with autism.
Calendars were sent out free to every school in ten local authorities, and have been enormously well received. Please feel free to dowload your own copy of the TreeHouse Parent Support Project autism awareness calendar 2008.
Janury 2008 - Bercow Event at the Emirates Stadium
TreeHouse, the national charity for autism education, held a seminar with John Bercow MP on Monday 7 January 2008 at the Emirates Stadium in North London. The seminar formed part of his review of 
speech, language and communication needs, the first major review of its kind for seven years.
The seminar enabled John Bercow to meet parents of children and young people with autism and discuss their experiences and recommendations. TreeHouse Parent Support Project representatives from six of the ten local authority areas throughout England attended.
John Bercow, who is the Conservative MP for Buckingham, has previously visited and worked with TreeHouse. He took time to listen to parents in order to gain a better understanding of the issues that need to be addressed by the Government: “The review is all about finding a way forward. Being a parent of a child on the autistic spectrum, I understand from experience how important it is to have speech, language and communication needs addressed early on. My hope is that this review will lead to an improvement in speech, language and communication services so that high quality provision is readily accessible to all those who need it.”
The three main features of the review are:
- which services are needed
- how improvements in national and local co-operation can be achieved to create effective early intervention
- how examples of good practice can be used to create a templates for speech, language and communication provision
An interim report will be published in March and put forward to the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Schools and Families. Please feel free to download a copy of the Bercow Report - A Review into Speech, Language and Communication Needs.
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