PACC are publishing our Mad, Sad, Glad report 2022, which explores how parent carers feel about being a parent of a SEND child or young person in Shropshire, to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.
The Mad, Sad, Glad report can be accessed here.
This years Mental Health Awareness week is focused on loneliness, and this is a theme that is clearly present in our Mad, Sad, Glad report, with parent carers sharing their sense of disconnect and isolation from wider society due to their different family experiences. This sense of disconnect is exacerbated by the challenges they report in working with the support system, with parent carers too often feeling not valued or understood when asking for help.
We have discussed the findings in our Mad, Sad Glad report with senior leads in Shropshire and have highlighted the current lack of parent carer support, especially where they are supporting children and young people under the age of 18. Following these discussions, we have been asked to gather thoughts on what support for parent carers should look like in Shropshire and it would be really helpful if you could spare some time to complete the short survey below to help us with this.
We also want Shropshire parent carers to know that while your experiences of family life might be different to many, you are not alone. There is a strong SEND community in Shropshire that is growing stronger all of the time and PACC will continue to work to support this community to support each other, to have a voice and to effect change.
More information about PACC’s work in this area can be found here.
Parent Carer Support Survey
Shropshire parent carers have told us that there are a number of areas that issues that impact on their wellbeing, these are;
- Loneliness
- A lack of understanding by services of their lives
- A lack of a break from caring responsibilities
- A lack of mental health support for parent carers
- The difficulty in accessing services
- The difficulty in understanding and navigating the system
PACC are currently collecting information on what support you would find helpful, and feedback on your wellbeing. We have put together a survey and would appreciate your feedback:
Kind Regards,
Abi Taylor
PACC Administrator
