The Barking & Dagenham Just Say Parent Forum and Sycamore Trust UK have teamed up to help improve the services available to local families. Just Say is the strategic consultative body within LBBD representing parents and carers of young people with special educational needs in the borough and Sycamore Trust UK provides support to parents, carers and individuals for whom Autism is part of everyday life in B&D, Havering and Redbridge, so there is a natural synergy between the two organisations.
Just Say steering group meetings are once a month and their big annual event is the Just Say Conference, which was cancelled last year because of the pandemic, but is scheduled to take place this year on Wednesday 23rd March at Dagenham & Redbridge FC. Sycamore Trust will provide support to the Just Say steering group on a number of issues, including helping them to set up a new website and providing a venue for meetings.
Sycamore CEO Chris Gillbanks said; “I’m delighted to be able to welcome the B&D Just Say Forum and offer them as much support as we can. Both organisations are committed to providing the best possible service for parents and carers of children with special needs and anything we can do to improve our offering is very welcome.”
Jamie Porstendorfer, Co – Chair of the Just Say Parent Forum, said; “It’s been a very challenging two years thanks to Covid, but we’re delighted that Sycamore Trust are our new partner and we have been working very hard with them behind the scenes. We are part of the national network of parent forums in England and we also have regular meetings with key SEN representatives, enabling us as a forum to be able to share views and opinions on key issues within B&D”
Get in touch with Just Say on 07936 851199, via justsaybdforum@gmail.com or on the Just Say Facebook group page
Photo L to R Just Say members Mmataz Bagom, Jaime Porstendorfer and Cllr Donna Lumsden, pictured with Sycamore’s Steve Dixon