Being part of Fair4All Education
Kimberly is a parent to three children who have SEN, mental and physical health needs.
She talks about her experiences and why she joined the Fair4All Education team.
“I have been with BuDS a short time but the work the Fair4All Education project is doing and aspires to do is simply vital.
As parent to 3 children, all of whom have SEN, Mental and Physical Health needs, I have become very aware over the last few years that education for these children and the support they are entitled to receive is very much lacking within Bucks.
I found myself completely lost at the beginning of my SEND parent journey. I very quickly found myself searching for information, for legislation, and for help, because no one across the services that are supposed to support your children and yourself through the minefield that is SEND education seems willing to communicate collaboratively or effectively. To be honest, it felt like learning a new language; sometimes it still does. It’s been an 8 year journey for me so far and I’m still learning.
Becoming familiar with things like SENDCOP, the Care Act, The Children and Families Act and suddenly having a vocabulary full of acronyms became normal. I was, and still am, spending hours every week trying to source information and fight for my children’s rights.
A charity like BuDS, it’s Fair4All Education project, and the information we are working to publish will enable parents to become more knowledgeable and thus empowered to fight for their children’s rights to access education. It can be a hugely daunting process starting the journey of SEND education. I hope that by volunteering with BuDS, I will be able to help other parents in their journey to supporting their children and to possibly even prevent other children being failed in the way mine have been.
I urge every SEND parent to take a look at the BuDS Fair4All Education project, to browse the information we have been able to provide thus far, and even to contact us if there anything you think we ought to be working on. We are a small team, volunteering as much as we are able, and we strive to empower anyone needing help in accessing education.”
This is a personal blog by a BuDS volunteer/member or staff/supporter. The views expressed are personal and don’t necessarily represent those of BuDS or our Trustees.
We have changed the name of our volunteer to protect their identity.