People's Services - Parents' Panel

The Centre for Excellence and Outcomes (C4EO) in Children and Young People's Services invites you to share your views and help shape future services for children and families. We need ordinary parents from all backgrounds to share their experiences and tell us what they think about healthcare, schools, childcare and a wide range of services designed to help families and children in the UK.

The Panel will be a small group of parents and carers who can give their comments and opinions on C4EO's work in six key areas. These are:

1. Services for teenagers and young people

2. Services for disabled children

3. Services for vulnerable children, particularly looked after children

4. Services for parents, families and carers

5. Services for early years (0-5 year olds)

6. Services for schools and communities

A key role for the panel is to ensure that the views and experiences of mothers, fathers and carers inform the work of C4EO. This may include:

- identifying issues of concern to parents and carers in relation to the 6 areas listed above and to feed in issues and suggestions from a service user perspective

- reading and commenting on the usefulness of summary findings of research from the perspective of mothers, fathers and carers and to give advice on how the messages can be shared with parents and carers.

The Parents and Carers Panel will meet 6 times in London between November 2008 and April 2011 (every 6 months). These meetings will be an opportunity for you to meet with other parents and carers in a friendly, supportive atmosphere. In between these meetings, you will also be asked for your comments and views on draft reports and other information from the Centre.

This will be done on a regular basis via email or post.

If you're not able to make these meetings in London, but are interested in regularly giving your views and opinions by email we'd also be interested to hear from you.

Your travel and childcare expenses for attending meetings will be reimbursed and you will also be paid