Children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are enjoying a summer of fun thanks to parent carer support group Voice4Parents and the City of Wolverhampton Council.
The council has provided funding to the group which is offering a wide range of free activities for children and young people with SEND as well as their siblings through its Summer Short Break Leisure Programme.
They include fun days with Sassy Sensory, rounds at Wolverhampton Adventure Golf, yoga, coffee mornings, picnic and play sessions, climbing and archery at Wolf Mountain, indoor play at Go Kidz Go, animal handling and SEN play with Hugglepets, special SEND friendly movie showings at Cineworld and family swim sessions at The Royal School.
Councillor Christopher Burden, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “We are delighted to have been able to support Voice4Parents to deliver its Summer Short Break Leisure Programme, and I was pleased to be able to catch up with the group at one of their Coffee, Chat and Crafts sessions at Low Hill Family Hub.
“Speaking to parents there, it’s clear that the activities hosted this summer by Voice4Parents are proving invaluable in supporting those families looking after children with additional needs.”
Sarah Baker, Chair of Voice4Parents, added: “We were so pleased to welcome Councillor Burden to one of our sessions and see children and parents enjoying themselves and getting some much needed support and accessing suitable SEND activities during the school holidays.
“Going forward, Voice4Parents are hopeful that we can use the feedback from this Summer Short Breaks Programme to help shape Wolverhampton's future Short Breaks and universal offer for SEND families, and we look forward to working in co-production with our partners to achieve this and to make a difference to families.”
Voice4Parents is a group of parent carers of children and young people with SEND living in Wolverhampton. They are a strategic partner with the council and integrated care systems – health – and help shape services for families whose children and young people have SEND based on families experiences and feedback. To find out more, please visit Voice4Parents, Twitter or search for Voice4Parents on Facebook.
The Voice4Parents Summer Short Break Leisure Programme is being delivered alongside the Yo! Wolves holiday programme for children and young people, which is offering a fantastic range of events and activities to choose from throughout the school holidays including, for the first time, more than 2,000 hours of free activities at the council's three WV Active leisure centres. For more details, and to book places, please visit Yo!Wolves.
