Meet the Executive Team

I have been a part of the Ealing Parent Carer Forum for over 20 years and am still passionate about improving the services and experiences of those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) along with ensuring there is adequate support for parents and carers. My daughter, who is now 28, has Down’s Syndrome and so our family has plenty of experience navigating the complicated, and ever changing, SEND system. My role as Executive Lead of the EPCF is to represent the forum with local and national services and partner organisations and to manage and support our team. As a team we work to ensure the voices and experience of our families is heard at every possible opportunity.

“Our children will receive better support if parents and carers work together with service and support providers, to improve the services available to them and I hope our work here will enable those connections to grow”.

Currently navigating my way through neurodiverse family life. I have lived experience of both Autism and ADHD.

I have been a volunteer parent representative for the forum since 2019 when I was first looking for support and information for my younger son.

It has been the parents who have shared similar experiences to me who have helped me the most, and now in the role of Participation Coordinator for the forum, I would like to use my experience to repay that kindness and to help other parents facing the same struggles to find their paths through the education, health, and social care systems. I hope to work with local services in Ealing to assist their understanding of the daily challenges we face as parents and to shape them to better support our children and young people.

I have recently been appointed Lead parent for Education within the Forum. This follows three years working as the Administrator for the Forum, and around 8 years as a parent rep attending various meetings and events.

I have two children, or young people as they are now – aged 13 and 15. My son was diagnosed with Autism at the age of 3 and attends Springhallow School.

My daughter was diagnosed with ADHD at the age of 13 and, after attending a mainstream secondary school for 4 years, she is now doing home education. Both children attended the same local school for their entire primary education.

So, I have experience of mainstream, specialist, and home education pathways, particularly in relation to Special Educational Needs.

I hope this experience will help me to build relationships with Ealing schools, to improve their own communication and relationships with parents and carers. There is too much inconsistency in provision, support and how parents and carers are viewed by schools, I really feel this is a big area of work that we can improve.

Improving outcomes for our children is a huge motivation for me, so being able to focus on Education will allow me to build workstreams and forge relationships with the relevant Local Authority representatives, schools, services and of course parents and carers.

We all need to work together to achieve the best possible futures for our children and young people in Ealing.

There will be a number of working groups and workstreams around education, that will evolve and develop. Initially there will be areas such as Early Years, Primary, Secondary, Post 16, Transition phases, Annual Review work, Home Education with SEND, EHCP’s to name a few.

I hope to meet many more of you soon!

Joining EPCF was driven by my sincere wish to contribute to a platform that understands the unique challenges faced by parents of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). EPCF stands out for its commitment to comprehending the complex issues in social care, education, and health for SEND families. What struck me most was EPCF’s dedication to ensuring our voices are not just heard but actively conveyed to relevant services, influencing policymaking.

As the Health Lead, my role is diverse. I assist parents in navigating health services by simplifying medical terminology and aiding in understanding diagnoses. Additionally, I help gather crucial documents for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Education, Health, and Care Plans (EHCP). Working closely with health visitors, I ensure parents are informed about early years support in Ealing.

Organising workshops and focus groups is one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. These sessions provide a direct connection between parents and health professionals like Speech and Language Therapists (SLT) and Occupational Therapists (OT), fostering deeper understanding and connection, particularly within BAME communities where the response has been significant.