Our Voice Autumn 2013 Issue 15 Sponsors of Our Voice Families Bill and for those who Carol Mustafa has done a fantastic have Special Educational Needs, job of co-ordinating Our Voice for Welcome perhaps the most significant the last 4 years. Owing to changes in Welcome to the Autumn edition of changes in the last 20 or 30 her personal circumstances, as well Our Voice and the theme that years…. And due to funding as our funding, she has decided to keeps coming up: Change. challenges, there are also step down and the role of co- Things seem to be changing all changes happening to the Short ordinator is to be shared amongst the the time, sometimes too fast for us Breaks scheme. voluntary members of the all to keep up with. We’ll be In addition, Our Voice is going management committee. We would seeing changes coming through in through change and we want to like to give Carol an enormous and the law around the Children and update you all. heartfelt thank you for all of the work that she’s undertaken during this time. But don’t worry; she’ll continue to participate within Our Voice as a member of the management committee. Our Voice welcomes three new parents that are helping out (from left to right) Natalie Sherman, Resim Clear and Khilna Gudhka The Our Voice Management Committee (from left to right) Kate Linke, Fazilla Amide, Carol Mustafa and Liz Willis wire and has an indoor Autism Friendly Fun area where arts and crafts activities take place. Open The Enfield Branch of The playground. The to siblings as well, the next National Autistic Society is playground sessions are a voluntary group set up by includes 10am – 1pm parents to support and swings, rope on Sunday 29th represent local people slides, September and living with Autism and climbing Sunday 20th Aspergers, their families apparatus October 2013. and carers. They organise and a zip There’s no need wheelchair friendly and is lots of great Autism-friendly to book but the experienced in dealing with activities for children and suggested £2 children on the autistic young people including the donation is spectrum who are popular play sessions at the always encouraged to have fun Florence Hayes adventure welcome. making tasty treats while Other activities include trips enjoying a wonderful to The Kids’ Cookery sensory experience. If you’d School in Acton. So if you like more information have a budding chef or about the activities, contact even the next Jamie Oliver Sophie Castell on 07903 in the family why not give it 420016 or email a whirl. The school is fully [email protected]. CarolContact: Mustafa Fazilla or • Kate Telephone: • Telephone: 07503 07516 161248 662315 • •Email Ema cail:[email protected] [email protected] Please passPlease this pass newsletter this newsletter on to otherson to others - parents – parents and serviceand service providers providers - who who mightmight find itit useful.useful. You You can can contact contact us for us additional for additional copies copiesby email by or email phone. or phone. Our Voice SPREADS the word In June Our Voice held one of its support needed for short breaks. We’ll opportunities to come along and popular networking meetings at also have the opportunity to manage network and find out what’s going Bowes Primary School in New our own personal budgets if we want on in an informal manner. Often the Southgate. It was well attended and to, as people do in Adult Services. best sources of support are from Janet Leach, Head of Joint Services other parents who are going So for example, if your child currently and Sue Roberts, Cheviots Centre through similar challenges, so we attends Raglan during the holidays Manager came along to update believe these meetings are useful in and has support to attend an parents on some of the changes helping to deal with the emotional afterschool club once a week in term that are happening and to listen to ups and downs we experience time, if eligible going forward, a parents’ views. through life! personal grant will allow you to We discussed the key change to the purchase your own support for your Come along to our next Network “Statement” and how over the next child and you might decide Meeting on 7th November 2013 year or two, the Educational Statement to spend it on 1-1 If you’re not from 9:30-11am at West Lea will change into the Single Plan, which swimming lessons already signed up to School, Haselbury Road, will not only cover Education, but also instead of going to our email database, Edmonton, London N9 9TU. Health and Social Care. So all Raglan during the please log onto Space is limited so please provision that your child needs will be holiday. www.ourvoiceenfield.org.uk book a place by emailing so you can receive further covered including therapies such as Our families tell us [email protected] by the information we have, in speech and language as well as any they value these 18th October. a timely, effective way. Did you know? Enfield Council The Family Fund is the largest provider of grants for low-income Website, Update…. families with disabled or seriously ill Following our update in the Spring, Our children aged 17 and under. The Voice has continued to work with the charity helps ease the additional Local Authority regarding content. We pressures families face and can help put it to them that parents would find it helpful if they provided a “one stop shop” of information and that all the departments should work together so there’s a consistent look and feel. They were in complete agreement and have now formed a joined up working party, including Education, Health, and Social Care, as well as Youth and members of Our Voice, as parents. There will be a Question & Answer section to make it easy to access the information we need quickly. Joint Services have earmarked some money from their Capital Fund to develop the site over the next couple of months, so fund essential items like washing toys and short breaks. For more we’re all very excited! machines, fridges, bed rails and information or an application form As the site develops, volunteers will be clothing but also considers grants for call 0845 130 4542 or visit needed to review draft versions, so if you computers for school work, sensory www.familyfund.org are interested in participating, let us know. Tolmers Activity Centre, the South of France, friend Atlanta as she is very kind and there’s a Drama and Dreams Egypt, the middle of the sea and a castle. In my boy call Harrison who is very happy – we like Bizzibops is an all inclusive dance French adventure I went to a café with all my playing on our adventures together.’ and creative arts theatre group led by Bizzibops friends. I like to do things with my For further information please email professional artists in a fun and [email protected] welcoming atmosphere for young people aged 8 years and over. Here, Nicholas, aged 12 years (pictured 2nd left in the red t-shirt) tells us why he enjoys it ‘I like Bizzibops because we do pretend adventures where dreams can come true and this makes me feel happy’ says Nicholas. ‘My best adventures have been to Hollywood, Page 2 www.ourvoiceenfield.org.uk Sibling Carer Support SIBLINGS The Enfield Carer’s Centre is now offering young carers help SUPPORT and support. If It can be difficult juggling all the someone under 18 has care priorities we have, especially when responsibilities at home they may we have more than one child. It’s need extra support to stop them hard not to give most of the feeling isolated or stressed from the attention to a child with additional extra pressures of school or college, needs and not our other children. as well as their carer role. The new More often than not we also expect service offers in-school assemblies, our other children to be workshops, buddy support and a understanding, behave as mature network for young carers to give adults and often to help out, when them confidence, break down the actually they’re still just children taboos of disability and tackle trying to find their own way in the Noah (left) with Ollie (right) on his birthday bullying. Four schools including world….Life is never easy but luckily Sussex Primary School, George Spicer there are sibling support groups and and he makes me laugh when he is Primary School, Edmonton County organisations and we’ve included a happy and jumps up and down School and Oasis Academy are short extract from a child whose smiling and giggling. He makes my planned to be taking part in the pilot brother has Autism explaining how mum happy as he loves giving kisses scheme which will be rolled out he feels. to people. He sometimes gets really across the borough if successful. angry and it is hard to know why. I try Tara Bennett, The Young Carers Having a brother with to help him, but I know that when Project Worker has more information he’s cross I get away from him in autism or if you’d like to get involved with case he tries to grab me. It makes me ‘My name is Ollie, I’m nearly 7 years the project call 020 8366 3677; visit sad when this happens and I try to old and I have a brother and a sister.