 | Disabled Parents Network (DPN) is a national organisation of and for disabled people who are parents or who hope to become parents, and their families, friends and supporters. |  Contact Us 08702 410 450 |
DPN provides information, advice and peer support to disabled parents, their families and supporters. We campaign on a local and national level to improve services for disabled parents. We also provide training and workshop facilitation to social and health professionals.
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Have Your Say on Social Care - the services you do or don't receive!
Please take time to visit the CSCI website and complete this survey as the survey SPECIFICALLY asks about help with parenting roles!
The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) is inviting people to “have their say” about the issues and problems associated with the current system for deciding who is eligible for council funding and support for social care services.
CSCI today launched an online survey, which seeks views and experiences from the public, people who use care services and all interested parties including council representatives, providers, voluntary and community organisations.
This survey will be on the CSCI website until 9 May. Anyone with an interest in social care can also send written submissions with their ideas for change.
THE HEALTHCARE TRAVEL COSTS SCHEME
Around 1.4 million people every year turn down or miss healthcare appointments, or choose not to seek health care, because of transport problems. For people on low incomes, the reason is often that they cannot afford the cost of travelling to hospital and other places of treatment.
The Department of Health has been working on extending the Hospital Travel Costs Scheme to help more patients to access the care that they need. These changes will come into effect from 1st April 2008, and to reflect its broader scope, the scheme will be renamed the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme.
From this date, some people on low incomes may qualify for help with travel costs under HTCS, including those in receipt of Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, Child Tax Credit*, Working Tax Credit* with Child Tax Credit*, Working Tax Credit* with a disability element* (*subject to an income ceiling)
DEAN THOMAS - WINNER OF THE ICT HUB’S “INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS” AWARD
Trustees of DPN are proud to announce that former Trustee and website co-ordinator, Dean Thomas, has been selected as the ICT Hub winner for the ‘Individual Contribution’ Award 2008. The judges were very impressed with the work he has done and is continuing to be involved with, not least for co-ordinating an ICT strategy for Disabled Parents Network.
Dean has invested many hundreds of hours of his free time each year as a volunteer and Trustee for DPN. He has been instrumental in coordinating all aspects of our ICT strategy from setting up our original website to converting it to CMS in 2007 with greater functionality including: integrated login system with the enquiry log, newsletter facility and feedback facilities.
Dean also played a key role in designing DPN’s online enquiry log which allows all our disabled parent helpline volunteers the freedom and flexibility to work from home. Most recently in 2007, he implemented enhancements to the enquiry log system including improved: security and data protection compliance as well as an improved monitoring facility.
Dean has recently resigned from his position as Trustee due to personal circumstances but remains a dedicated and helpful volunteer for the organisation.
Having a website and online enquiry log has made a huge difference to DPN’s work. Dean has designed both with good accessibility and in consultation with other disabled parents to ensure the facilities are fit for purpose. The enhancements he made to the website in 2007 have meant it is easier to maintain/update and easier to navigate. Enhancements to the enquiry log system have meant that DPN’s data can be recorded more easily and more accurately allowing for improvements in monitoring and evaluation vital to the future of of DPN’s work.
Dean travelled to London to be presented with the award at the ICT Hub National Conference in London on March 11th 2008.
‘Hello, my name is Alison Belbin and I am co-writing a piece of theatre about pregnancy and disability for ‘Women & Theatre’ a Birmingham-based theatre company, which will have its first performance at the International Midwives Conference in June in Glasgow. All our work is made by gathering women’s stories around a particular experience, mixing them up and turning them into theatre. For this one we are really keen to hear the experiences women with impairments have had of pregnancy, birth and feeding. Positive and negative are welcome. We are interested in your experiences of health professionals and medical services, but also your own reflections on how pregnancy and childbirth affected your life in other ways. Did you give birth to aspects of yourself? Did it change your relationship with your body/soul in ways that surprised you? Did it change the perceptions of those around you? Whether your experience was last year or 50 years ago, and everything in between, we would love to hear from you. We are especially keen to make contacts with women in the West Midlands so we can have the possibility of meeting up with you. You can contact me by email – alibelbin@blueyonder.co.uk or ring me on 0121 523 6157 mobile 07946 521946. If you want to check out the company look up www.womenandtheatre.co.ukfor more information and contact numbers. Look forward to hearing from you!’
DISABLED PARENT’S EXPERIENCES OF MIDWIFERY CARE
Disabled Mum and writer Emma Bowler has asked for our assistance in contacting disabled parents to assist with a potential commission she has to write an article for midwives.
As a disabled parent, do you have something to say about your experience of midwives either antenatal, birth or postnatal experiences? Positive or negative experiences would be equally helpful.
USING PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Emma is also doing some research for an article on the issues for disabled parents using public transport.
Do you know any disabled parents who use public transport of any kind eg, buses, trains, tubes, taxis [including taxicard] who might have something to say on the issue?
What are the difficulties? How do you manage to get about on public transport with your child or children? Have you had to invent your own way of transporting your child pr children on public transport eg, ditched the pushchair in favour of a backpack?
Please contact Emma as soon as possible if you are able to help by sharing your experiences on either of these topics - emma_bowler@hotmail.com
You can find out more about Emma at http://emmabowler.blogspot.com and http://www.bbc.co.uk/ouch/writers/emmabowler
‘I am currently 7 months pregnant and have Friedreich's Ataxia. I can walk with crutches or holding on to furniture. I am trying to workout what the best solution is going to be to move the baby around the house - I am not comfortable with the idea of a sling as I often fall. I am fairly strong but I foresee difficulties when it comes to transferring baby from cot to changing table/floor..... Really I'm looking for any advice or tips, esp on cots and prams/pushchairs...’
Find out more by visiting our Forum & Discussion Group Section.
last updated: 21 Apr 08
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Registered Office: Disabled Parents Network, 81 Melton Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 8EN. Registered Charity No: 1087662
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