Steering Group Elections 2024

1. Alison M

My name is Alison and I am a mum of three - the eldest two of whom are deaf. I feel passionately that all deaf children should be offered access to language - spoken and signed and that their families should be supported with this access.  

I know from experience that the most powerful tool in an SEN parents toolbox is access to other parents - for knowledge and expertise but also for fellowship, community and an understanding that is impossible to find outside lived experience.

I have been proud to sit on the SEND Power steering group for a year and would be delighted to continue.  

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2. Amanda B

Standing for Chair

I am mum to two,  one of my children is now a 23yr old young man with Autistic with ADHD.

I was part of a group of parents who volunteered to help procure the services of a host provider to initiate the development of a Parent Carer Forum in Haringey, and I am the current Chair of SEND Power. I have always advocated for & expressed the views of SEND parent/carers & families as a parent/carer myself. I have also been a school governor in both a mainstream & special schools for over the last 20 years.

As the Chair of SEND Power I continue to represent to represent feedback and concerns of our members at the SEND Exec Board, Preparing for Adulthood Operational Group, Safety Valve Steering Group, Short Breaks, Transitions Operational Subgroup, Coproduction Task and Finish group and I also represent SEND Power at Children and Young Peoples (CYP) Scrutiny Panel; this is the panel which holds the Local Authority to account regarding all things CYP & our representation is SEND specific.

I am acutely aware of the cultural & socio-economic disparities which exist within our Haringey, which in turn prevents, inhibits & at times alienates many SEND families (within our community) from gaining access to information & services available to them.

Lastly, I have over 20yrs of personal experience challenging the Local Authority to make a difference to the lives of all our SEND children & young people living in the Borough.

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3. Jorgie M

I’m Jorgie, a Haringey resident for over 25 years and a mum to a brilliant non- speaking Neurodivergent boy with sensory processing difference.

In the last year I have been working at SEND Power in Haringey in an admin support capacity. I have had the privilege to meet and speak to many inspirational parents and carers in different stages of their journeys and learn about their experiences, challenges and hopes.

During this time, I have also had a great opportunity to be a rep for SEND Power on the Social Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) task group. At this weekly meeting with multidisciplinary teams, I’ve been able to feed-back parent/carer concerns to contribute to the creation of a guide for schools about how teachers and staff can access and utilise the right support and interventions with a more adaptive approach for children within their settings, AT THE RIGHT TIME!

The challenges I have faced in my own SEND mum journey so far, means like for many parents, I had to really mourn my preconceived ideas of what my experience of being a mum would look like and has challenged me to learn to persistently be my child’s voice, enabling me to become passionate about self-advocating when dealing with different professionals to communicate his needs, and ascertain what support is accessible, in a system that can be overwhelming and feel like endless closed doors.

I want to put myself forward as steering group rep so I can represent other parents’ interest, to drive the necessary systemic and environmental changes, so all our SEND children’s full potential and aspirations can be realised.

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4. Kate R

I’m Kate, a mum to three boys aged 17, 14 and 11. My 14 and 11 year old both have ASD and attend an ASD school within the borough.

I work as a SEN Teaching Assistant (SENTA) in a mainstream school within the borough and have done for many years. Myself like the majority of SEND parents within the borough have worked and still work tirelessly to get the right help and support they are entitled to as well as ensuring their children’s needs are met. I feel as I’ve experienced this journey twice I understand the stress and upset send parents face and the journey they have ahead.

I would like to put myself forward as a parent rep so I can be the voice for parents who are lost in the system like I once was.

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5. Katrina S

My name is Katrina and I would like to register my interest in becoming a steering group member. I have been working  part time with SEND power Haringey since March this year. I get first hand experience of what parents, carers and guardian go through trying to get the right support for their love one. I also have personal experience being a mother to children with autism and have also navigated the SEND provision system which is not always easy and some time feels like a constant battle. I feel that what I have learnt over the years through my personal and professional experience can help others. My son's have started secondary school this year so I have knowledge of the primary school,  I'm learning about secondary school and the provision in place and available. But I also work with post 16 and project search team so I also have that insight. I therefore hope that you find me a suitable candidate for the steering group team.

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6. Megan R

I would like to put myself forward to continue to be a rep on the steering group. I am a parent of a child with SLD and SpLD and a teacher at a special school for children with PMLD. I understand the frustrations parents and carers have with the challenges with communication, time management and confusion of provision by the council. I would relay these concerns and work cooperatively to find strategies and hopefully solutions with the committees. A strong focus needs to be on making information and documents accessible to all parents and carers and fit for purpose to support our children.  

I have enjoyed becoming involved with the steering group as it feels as if steps are being made to address issues and move forward with input from all stakeholders. Over the last year I have represented Send Power on speech and language commissioning group and EHCP review.

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7. Olivia N

I would love to continue representing SEND Power as a steering group member.

I have been part of the steering group since 2022. Since joining I have been a member of various sub groups including Transport, Early Years, Preparing for Adulthood and Speech, Language and Social Communication. I have also been involved in various projects SEND Power have been invited to work on, for example Autism in Schools. I have some background in SEND law, having done IPSEA training up to level 3 and volunteered for SENDIASS prior to Covid. I am currently working for Contact in the Parent Carer Participation team.

I feel confident reading and understanding policy documents and feel I clearly and concisely feedback parent/carer views in professional meetings.

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8. Rani T

I have been on the SEND Power Steering Group for the past two years and am passionate about promoting the interests of SEND families and supporting their wellbeing. I am currently on various Haringey local authority SEND working groups where I have represented the interests of Haringey families across a range of issues. These include improving EHCPs, co-production, supported internships and exclusion pathways.

My son in Year 10 has an EHCP and I have set up Parent/Carer SEND Networks at both Campsbourne Primary School N8 and Alexandra Park Secondary School N11. Through these I have created a community to share information about events and training in the area and to offer advice and support to each other, which has been greatly valued by parents. I have set up online forums for communication and organised coffee mornings and meet ups. It has also allowed me to speak with parents on many SEND issues and understand their concerns. Through membership of the Steering Group, I have been able to feedback relevant information to the local authority, parent networks and schools. I am also a Governor at Campsbourne school and Chair of the Curriculum Committee, where I have excellent links with the SENDCo, staff and parents.

I am a qualified lawyer and mediator, and have used my skills to help many local families navigate the SEND system, EHCP process and support from schools. I have previously worked with the local authority on updating EHCP and annual review guidance documents, and have a strong understanding of SEND in Haringey as well as central government policy.

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9. Renny B

Hello. My name is Renny, father of Daniel, a 22-year-old young man with Autism. Two decades of trying to cut through the forest of Council bureaucracy in order to get him the support he needs have left me convinced that the only way to change things is by bringing our concerns directly to the over-worked council workers in charge. I feel that SEND Power could benefit by having someone like myself speaking to the council about issues like post-secondary education, work placements and internships that concern our 18 to 25-year-old cohort.  

I currently sit on the council’s Commissioning Co-Production board which oversees contracts with housing and care providers. I’ve had 40 years experience working in public broadcasting so can usually offer clear communication and analysis on related issues.

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10. Rosalyn O

By way of background- I have a 6 year-old son who is non-verbal and autistic. He is currently in a specialist school. I would be delighted to be involved and represent the views and interests of parents in the community at the various steering groups.

My son previously attended a mainstream school where they had  a lot of SEN children. I have therefore experience of both mainstream and specialist settings. I have been a member of Send Power in Haringey for over two years. I would be delighted to assist as needed.

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11. Stephanie B

Standing for Vice-Chair

I am the parent of a 14-year-old severely autistic child. The past 11 years have been a real struggle and fight to get his needs understood and met. When he transferred from mainstream to a special school, I decided to get as involved as possible with the Haringey SEN community. I have been a Vale parent governor for the past seven years. I am also Chair of the Resource and Pay Committee. During this time, I have witnessed first-hand what has been going on in Haringey on the SEN front.

The past few years have been very difficult for our community and the communication between the council and parents/carers had historically been very poor. I am passionate about getting parent and carer voices heard and have worked with other parents to set up SEND Power. I’ve been involved from the start with the commissioning of the service, the procurement/tendering process and have been working, with the Bridge Renewal Trust as host, to grow the forum. I am determined to finally get our needs as parents/carers met in an appropriate and efficient way. I am also a trustee in the charity WAVE (We are all valued equally) that fights to break down attitudinal barriers and have communities mix with people of all abilities.

During lockdown, I became a volunteer telephone befriender supporting carers finding it very difficult to cope. I have retrained as a therapeutic counsellor, mainly working with carers in Camden. I am bilingual French/English and  fluent in Spanish. I was a Television News Editor for 15 years where I specialised in breaking news, forward- planning and crisis management. In this role, I worked to tight deadlines under a lot of pressure. This has made me a good team player who knows how to establish and maintain good relationships. I have had to manage some difficult situations with diplomacy. I would love to continue developing SEND Power by continuing to be on the steering group.

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12. Shahrina R

A little about myself, my name is Shahrina, I am a mother of two boys whom are autistic and attend a mainstream primary school in Haringey. I am also a Haringey primary school teacher myself. Being a mother and teacher, I am experienced in understanding some of the challenges faced by parents of children with SEND in the borough. I engage with many parents who have children with additional needs that feedback their personal experiences with their child’s development, services they access in the borough, schooling and areas we would like to see improvements in.

I would feel privileged to be part of a community that work towards making improvements for children whom will grow into adults across the borough.

I feel my experience both personally and professionally would be useful in representing Haringey parents in the steering group, especially to be a voice from the BAME community which often goes underrepresented.

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13. Trudy G

I would like to express my interest to become a volunteer for the steering group. I believe I have skills and attributes that would be useful to assist parents with a SEND need. My own personal experience I believe I can take and everything I have learnt on my journey I believe is a positive factor. Even though I am very new to the PCF, I am already making plans with my children schools and childminders to get other parents involve and how best I can assist with the knowledge I already have, this revolves around benefits, housing matters and assistance with grants and funding.

I am hoping to be successful and to make a positive change for our families.

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14. Tudy-Ann L

I would like to be a part of this steering group. I believe I would be an  asset to this group and also very open to learning more to support in any way I can.