 | 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 0300 3300 639 |
| 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 0300 3300 639 |
Disabled Parents Network was born in July 1999 out of the marriage of ParentAbility and Parents Too!
ParentAbility was formed in 1982, as a committee of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) which:
In 1998, ParentAbility was looking to breakaway from NCT, however, this was pre-empted in early 1999 by the NCT giving ParentAbility three weeks notice to leave.
Was born out of RADAR's 'Disabled People Have Rights', a project built around Section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Person Act 1970. It was a coalition of national disability organisations who were concerned at the lack of support available to disabled parents with their parenting responsibilities.
Following a meeting between Parents Too!, the Department of Health (DoH), the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) and the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) the SSI included the support that Social Services Departments gave to disabled parents to assist them in their parenting responsibilities in their inspection programme. This led in April 2000, to the publication of 'A Jigsaw of Services'.
In November 1998, representatives from ParentAbility and Parents Too! (Disability, Pregnancy and Parenthood International [DPPI] representatives also attended) met in Cardiff to discuss the way forward. At the end of the weekend, the decision was taken to merge ParentAbility and Parents Too! to form a new national organisation run by disabled parents.
Neither ParentAbility nor Parents Too! were formally constituted and Articles and Memorandum of Association were written. Disabled Parents Network was registered as a Company in January 2001 and a Charity in July 2001.
Disabled Parents Network was officially launched in April 2000 at a Reception at the House of Lords, hosted by Lord Jack Ashley of Stoke.
John Keep, DPN Chair
last updated: 26 Sep 07
Registered Office: Disabled Parents Network, 81 Melton Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 8EN. Registered Charity No: 1087662
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