Welcome to the e-bulletin of Real Issues brought to you by Sunderland Carers’ Centre and Children’s Services.

Each month we will bring you the latest news and information about support groups and activities that you might be interested in.

If you no longer wish to receive an email alert about Real Issues, please contact Services for Disabled Children on 0191 566 2190.

Sunderland Carers' Centre Activities and Events

Parent Carers' Group

The Parent Carers’ Group is for parents and carers of disabled children (aged 18 or under). It usually meets on the second Thursday of each month at Sunderland Carers’ Centre, 12 Toward Road, Sunderland, 10.30am – 12 noon.

There are no meetings during the school holidays. The next meeting will take place on Thursday 11 September.

Any parents wishing to attend this group are most welcome (including guardians, adoptive parents and grandparents looking after disabled children). If you have not attended the group before and would like more information, please contact Sunderland Carers’ Centre on 0191 567 3232.

Summer Trip for Carers to Barnard Castle

Sunderland Carers’ Centre is organising a trip to Barnard Castle on Wednesday 10 September, 10am – 5.30pm. The trip is open to all carers living in the Sunderland City. The cost is £3 which must be paid before 5 September. To book a place please contact the Carers’ Centre on 0191 567 3232. Places are limited. The trip is for carers only.

Want to be more involved in carers’ issues?

Interested in becoming a carer representative? If so, the forthcoming Carer Representative Course may be for you. It will help and guide you to represent carers and their interests/issues.

The 6 week course begins on Thursday 18 September, 10.30am – 12.30pm, at Sunderland Carers’ Centre. The sessions will be: 1. Introduction – what is a carer representative?; 2. Confidence building and jargon busting; 3. Introduction to committees; 4. Being at a meeting as a representative; 5. Other ways to represent carers; and 6. Course review and feedback.

If you wish to join the course please contact the Carers’ Centre on 0191 567 3232.

Information, Activities and Events

For more details on any of the information, activities or events mentioned below please contact the organisation directly or Sunderland Carers' Centre on 0191 567 3232.

Max Card Scheme

The Max Card Scheme is in operation again this year. The Max Card provides families of disabled children with reduced price or free entry to a number of cultural and leisure activities across the region and is available to all members of the Sunderland Network for Disabled Children. To join the Network contact Mel Hardy at Services for Disabled Children on 0191 566 2190 for an application form. Membership is free.

National Autistic Society Help! Programme

The National Autistic Society is running a free 3 day help! event in North Tyneside for parents and carers of children aged 5 -11 who have received a diagnosis of an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) within the last 18 months. The sessions will be held on Tuesday 23 September, Friday 26 September and Tuesday 30 September, 9.30am – 3pm, at North Tyneside Carers Centre, Neptune House, Neptune Road, Wallsend NE28 6DD. There will be basic information on ASDs; tips for communication; education; services; benefits; and approaching behaviour difficulties. For more information please contact Jan Fuller on 0191 568 0732.

Every Disabled Child Matters Campaign – NHS Survey

A survey of 30 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) carried out by The Every Disabled Child Matters campaign and a group of charities (Association for Children’s Palliative Care, Children’s Hospices UK and Whizzkidz) has revealed that not one of the 30 PCTs was able to specify how much funding they will be spending on essential health services for disabled children, despite children being a local priority group in this year’s NHS Operating Framework.

The charities are now calling for:

• The Department of Health to clarify the total national allocation to services for disabled children and children with palliative care needs, and how this funding has been allocated for PCTs.
• PCTs to specify how much they will spend on services for disabled children and children with palliative care needs in the current and subsequent years.

To find out more about the survey results visit the Every Disabled Child Matters website here.

Summer Holidays Information Pack

The Families Information Service has produced a pack of information for parents about the activities and childcare available throughout the summer holidays. Parents can obtain a pack by contacting the service on 0191 520 5505.

Summer Activities for Children at Sunderland Museums

There are lots of free fun activities for children taking place during the school holidays at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens, Burdon Road, Sunderland SR1 1PP Tel: 0191 553 2323 and Monkwearmouth Station Museum, North Bridge Street, Sunderland SR5 1AP Tel: 0191 567 7075. For more information about these activities contact the museums directly. There is also free entry if you simply wish to visit the museums.

Craft activities at Fulwell Mill

There will be craft activities at Fulwell Mill every Wednesday during the school holidays, 1pm – 3pm. Themes will include windmill collage, bouncing bugs and summer mobiles. Admission is free. Simply go along on the day. For further details call 0191 514 1235.

Summer Tasters

Family Adult Community Learning are running some summer tasters at Bunny Hill and other venues across the city, for example, the Sandhill Centre, Ryhope Library, Ryhope Community Association and Hetton Centre. Tasters include Card Crafts, Confidence Building, Sign Language, Basic ICT, Digital Imagery, and Give a Little Gain a Lot through Volunteering.

For more information about what is on offer contact Pauline Forster, Balbinder Kaur or Christine Willis on 0191 561 8161 or 0191 561 8133.

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