Parent Carer Council Shropshire (PACC) - Buddies for Children and Young People with SEND (Shropshire)

PACC started the Buddies group 5 years ago with the aim of offering social opportunities for young people with SEND, aged 14 and above, to enable the development of friendship groups as young people grow and look for more independence from their families.There is a core Buddies group for the 14 – 25 (ish) age group and Junior Buddies for the 8-14 year old group. A timetable of activities is regularly shared and families can book onto activities via the Buddies Facebook group. The older Buddies particularly enjoy the groups monthly Sunday morning bowling session at Hollywood Bowl in Shrewsbury. Young people joining for the first time are buddied up with young people they may already know or who are in the same age group. All this happens while parent carers catch up with each other and have a hot drink. In addition to the bowling, they have also held a number of one-off events to celebrate birthdays, arranged walks at Attingham Park, visits to the Theatre, yoga sessions and discos. Junior Buddies have hosted easter celebrations, soft play sessions and sensory story telling.The groups are run by Annie, Sarah Denise and Ruth, who are all parent carers who work and volunteer for PACC. Parent carers remain responsible for providing young people with any support needed, but they encourage peer support between the young people and in some cases parent carers have made individual arrangements to support each other’s children, so that they don’t always have to attend activities. Activities are self-funded and are organised with a view to accessing concessions and being cost effective. If you would like to join Buddies, request to join the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/385779525302027 or contact enquiries@paccshropshire.org.ukFacebook https://www.facebook.com/ShropsPACCShropshire Parent Carer Council Website http://www.paccshropshire.org.uk/#SENDThingsToDo #SENDParentCarerSupport