Suffolk Parent Carer Forum
SPCF is the official, statutory co-production partner of Suffolk County Council and the Integrated Care Board (NHS), bringing the voices of parents and carers to shape services for better outcomes for the children and young people of Suffolk with SEND.
News and Updates
The Summer 2025 edition of our newsletter is now live! This edition has updates from SPCF, information on upcoming focus groups and helpful information for SEND families over the summer holidays.
View the Newsletter by clicking the link here - Newsletter
We are pleased to share the results of the Suffolk Parent Carer Forum 2025 Annual Survey. The survey gave parents and carers the opportunity to share their experiences of Health and Education services for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. This feedback helps us understand what’s working well and where improvements are needed.
You can read the report below
On Thursday 12th June, Suffolk Parent Carer Forum hosted an in-person event for families of children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. It was a valuable opportunity for families to connect with professionals from Education, Health, and the Voluntary Sector. Families were offered a supportive space to ask questions and share experiences.
We’re grateful to everyone who attended and look forward to welcoming you at our future events.
Our Chair, Claire Smith, was featured on ITV News on 13th May, following a report that found that over half of SEND students had to miss school because their needs were not being met.
Click the video below to watch the full feature.
This year, we ran our Annual Survey from 14th May for 3 weeks to enable participants enough time to express their views and provide SPCF with a clear picture of how parents and carers were feeling about Education and Health services in Suffolk for their children and young people with SEND. We intend to use the findings of the survey to steer positive change with SEND & Mental Health Services in Suffolk. You can access the report below.
Our Aims & Objectives
To be the strategic consultative body within Suffolk representing families of children and young people with special/additional needs and/or disabilities, providing a liaison point for Statutory and Voluntary Agencies within Suffolk. This will be achieved by providing Parent Carer Representatives to work in co-production with local services.
To consult with and inform our membership with a view to ensuring that all children and young people in Suffolk with special/additional needs and/or disabilities meet their full potential and achieve the best possible outcomes.
Hello, I just wanted to say thank you. I commented on a post 5 weeks ago about personal budgets having previously been told by someone my son wouldn’t be entitled to it because it wasn’t a specialist school. An administrator from SPCF, replied and said to question this. I finally sent a letter yesterday and have heard back already. They have said he is entitled to a personal budget. Thank you so much if it wasn’t for you guys, I would still be struggling to pay for his fuel to get him to school. Thank you.
"Based on the PCF’s report and my observations on how members of the PCF represented the interest of families of children with SEND at the meeting today, it is clear that the PCF is doing some great work on behalf of parents in Suffolk"
-Brian Gale - SEN and Disability Professional Adviser - Dept for Education
