MERTON MENCAP Merton Parent Carer Forum Coordinator Job Description

Title: Merton Parent Carer Forum Coordinator
Responsible to: Steering Group & Chief Executive of Merton Mencap
Hours: 24 hours per week (3½days a week)
Salary: £22,629 (£33,000, full time equivalent)
Place of Work: Merton Mencap office and locations in the London borough of Merton,
with some home-working permitted

Background

Merton Parent Carer Forum (MPCF) is a local forum for parents of children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) aged 0-25years. The forum plays a key role in representing the collective voice of local parent carers, supporting them to have a say about how local services in education, health and social care should be planned, delivered and evaluated.

MPCF is run by a steering group of parent carers who volunteer their time to do so. The steering group meets regularly to plan the business of the forum.

The role of MPCF Coordinator is key to supporting the steering group, responding to their wishes and taking forward actions. This can include booking guests for workshops, setting up, promoting and running events and socials, recruiting and inducting new members, and supporting parent carers who represent the views of members.

The MPCF Coordinator supports the steering group of parent carers which includes providing data on the profile of the members and emerging needs. Central to the role is ensuring excellent communication with local parent carers by using a range of communication methods to relay the forum activity, including social media, WhatsApp, email and ebulletins.

Merton Mencap hosts the MPCF, which means we secure and administer the funding so the forum can take place and make sure appropriate governance is in place.

Purpose

• Support the strategic plan of the forum’s steering group

Undertake steering group direction including supporting parent carer representations at local meetings, managing forum membership, arrange events, evaluate and reporting service impact, manage funder applications and reporting

• Equip the steering group with the resources needed for forum activity

Details

Steering groups

Support steering group to recruit, induct and train volunteer parents & carers to lead forum activity, co-ordinating available resources to support them in their roles

• Manage ‘Terms of Reference’ for steering group meetings, reviewed annually

• Arrange steering group meetings, circulating dates in advance; publish agendas and meeting papers beforehand, taking and distributing minutes afterwards

• Communicate with steering group frequently on relevant forum matters

Oversee a log is maintained of key meetings

Co-production & representation

In consultation with the steering group and statutory contacts, identify key strategic forums which parents and carers should attend as ‘reps’ to ensure the voice of the membership is heard

• Recruit parent carers to be reps to attend identified local strategic forums

Oversee representation meetings occur with appropriate regularity, tracking dates and bringing any action points to the steering groups, as necessary

Ensure parent carer reps feel trained and supported

Promotion

Create written materials to promote forums and ensure a strategic approach to placing printed versions at borough locations, eg SEN schools, GP surgeries, day centres

Maintain forum pages of the charity’s web site ensuring information is clear and kept up to date

• Ensure forum information is maintained on local relevant web sites, eg the Local Offer

Ensure forum activity is frequently posted on the charity’s social media accounts and to relevant local agencies and professionals

• Attend relevant events to promote and exhibit the forums, eg school open days

• Provide news of forum activity for the charity’s monthly ebulletin

• Oversee WhatsApp and social media groups for parent carers to promote peer support

Events

• Liaise with steering group members to agree nature of forum events, eg workshops, speakers

Identify and approach speakers and contributors for events and manage all aspects of event bookings

• Arrange forum events and publish as stated in the comms plan

• Ensure events are properly facilitated and chaired on the day

• Ensure relevant events are recorded, edited an uploaded to social media, plus notes are circulated to forum members about any key outcomes/actions from events

Parent carer voice record

Maintain a ‘parent carer voice record’ of problems/difficulties and positives that parent carers advise us about, and link with the ‘You Said We Did’ comms, and are shared with reps for raising at relevant meetings

Forum membership

• Ensure new registration forms are entered onto membership log within 7 days of receipt

• Ensure new members receive a welcome pack and are supported to join the charity’s social media and WhatsApp groups

Evaluation

• Evaluate events by ensuring evaluation forms are completed by attendees

Conduct an annual evaluation on the impact of the forum on members’ lives by circulating a survey and compiling feedback into a short annual report showing forum activity and achievements

General

Contribute to the grant applications and monitoring

Monitor and approve forum budgets, ensure forums run to budget and that data is prepared for feedback to funders, as necessary, including online monitoring forms

• Maintain data on aspects of forum activity including attendance, issues, event feedback, and generally ensure that events run smoothly

Keep abreast of developments in other parent carer forums via links with local and national groups e.g. the South London cluster

Contribute to sustaining good professional relationships between Merton Mencap, funders, London Borough of Merton officers and other external parties

Ensure queries from parents and carers are responded to promptly and appropriate information provided or that they are signposted to other services, as appropriate

Required to attend relevant team meetings and annual AGM, occasionally work outside normal working hours (e.g. occasional cover for other forum coordinator), attend relevant training and undertake other duties consistent with the post

• Work within Merton Mencap’s policies & procedures and code of conduct

Ebulletin

• Collate contributions from parents, carers, key contacts and by obtaining details of other local services and development

Line management

• No line management responsibility (except volunteer support)

MERTON MENCAP Merton Parent Carer Forum Coordinator Person Specification

Essential

Basic awareness of (or a willingness to learn about) legislation and statutory guidance for children and young people with Special Educational Need & Disabilities (SEND) and their parents and carers, e.g. SEND Code of Practice 2015, Children & Families Act 2014, Equality Act 2010, Care Act 2014, Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)

• Awareness of relevant services in the statutory and voluntary sector

• A commitment to the values and aims of our forums: to empower parents and carers to have a voice and support them in their caring role

• The ability to work with transparency, empathy, kindness and openness with parent carers

Experience of supporting and empowering others

• Experience of organising and contributing to meetings, events and taking minutes/notes (in-person and on-line)

• Experience of general clerical duties/administration, including accurate record-keeping

• Proficiency in the use of Microsoft-based packages e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and e-mail, and using social media, and the ability to design promotional literature

• The ability to manage time effectively and to ensure deadlines are met

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to communicate with a range of stakeholders (e.g. Merton partners and professionals)

Efficient, proactive, approachable and helpful

Willing to work flexibly

Enthusiastic and self-motivated

• An awareness of and commitment to safeguarding, excellent health and safety practice and equal opportunities

Knowledge of data protection and confidentiality

Desirable

• Lived experience of being a parent carer of a child or young person with SEND

Experience of managing a similar service / working in the charitable sector

Training in safeguarding, health and safety, risk assessment, equal opportunities, confidentiality and holding current first aid certificate