You are here: Parent Champions Awards 2024
This May, we celebrated our annual Parent Champions Awards. The awards are an opportunity to recognise the volunteers' achievements and the valuable contributions of Parent Champions schemes across the UK. Once again we were blown away by the quality of the nominations we received and the impact that Parent Champions are having in their community. This year, the schemes that make up the Parent Champions National Network have more than doubled the number of families spoken to – with over 50,000 families being supported! This is an incredible achievement, and highlights the dedication and hard work of the 43 schemes and 300 volunteers. So we have a lot to celebrate.
Coordinator of the Year
This award recognises the Parent Champions coordinator who has demonstrated outstanding levels of dedication, creativity, and boldness in bringing communities together and has worked hard to support and encourage their Parent Champions in their roles as a volunteer as well as in their personal development.
Nominees
Rob Harris and Farah Ahmed, Kingston and Richmond
Rob and Farah continuously go above and beyond to support Parent Champions in Kingston and Richmond to connect with the SEND community. They reach out to SEND parents in the community exhausting all channels of communication to make sure they get the support they need.
Ellie-May Keywood and Lesia Sakhkova, Norfolk
These coordinators have had a positive influence on children and adolescents in Norfolk, through organising events for the Ukrainian community. They supported in translating materials and handbooks for parents from Ukraine, supporting them to access training and facilitating their understanding in Parent Champions meetings.
Winner
The winner of this year’s Coordinator of the Year award went to Claire Hughes from Parent Champions Wrexham.
Claire has taken Parent Champions Wrexham from strength to strength since its inception in 2022, recruiting Parent Champions from diverse backgrounds, including a number of parents who have children with Additional Language Needs.
Parent Champions who have joined the scheme have seen a significant improvement in their confidence. One said:
Biggest Personal Development
The award for Biggest Personal Development recognises the Parent Champions volunteer who, through their involvement in the network, has made significant positive change in their own life in addition to positively affecting the lives of others.
Nominees
Becky Harris, Wrexham
Becky joined their scheme in October 2022. Since then, their knowledge and confidence have really grown. They have hosted parent drop-ins at a local school, where they offer information, signposting, and advice to parents with children with additional needs. Becky has contributed to a Parent Voice project run by a Local Charity and through this was able to directly ask questions of representatives of the local government. Becky handles every challenge with a smile and is a committed volunteer who is passionate about supporting others to access valuable support.
Alessandra Tigwell, Barnet
Alessandra first attended the Stay and Play sessions with her child just after lockdown had passed. She was very nervous at the start but quickly her confidence grew. Alessandra has now attended the local advisory board meetings and other local meetings, taking an interest in the local community by doing outreach alongside parent champions visiting dentist surgeries and local parks and advocating the Children Centre Timetables.
Heba Nasser, Brent
Heba’s journey over the past year exemplifies resilience and personal growth. She has faced significant challenges but has shown remarkable strength and determination. Heba is now pursuing employment opportunities and her nomination told us that she “serves as a beacon of hope and encouragement to others facing similar hardships”
Winner
The Biggest Personal Development award goes to Farah Hussain from Parent Champions Leicester.
Farah has been a Parent Champion for four years. In that time she has gone from strength to strength and really carved out her own niche in her role as Parent Champion. She is passionate in her belief in supportive services for children and families and is also exploring routes into social work. Her nomination said:
Best Newcomer
The Best Newcomer award recognises new Parent Champions volunteers who have made significant progress or impact since joining the scheme.
Nominee
Oksana Hrytsenko, Norfolk
Oksana completed her training last June. Since the very beginning, she has been active by creating a social media group. She attends the Immigration drop-ins in the local library and Family Hub, participates in Christmas and Easter parties for the kids, opening the galleries and concerts at the local Art centre, and helping the community at the community centre. Oksana is an enthusiastic, responsible and creative person.
Winner
The Best Newcomer award goes to Jade Humphrey-Jones from Parent Champions Wrexham.
Jade is currently supporting a weekly group for parents whose children have additional needs. She attends the session every Friday and provides valuable information and support to the parents. Jade also promotes the group and has attended several one-off events to represent Wrexham Family Information Service.
In a short time, Jade has contributed a vast amount to Wrexham Parent Champions.
Biggest Impact
The Biggest Impact award recognises the Parent Champions volunteer who has demonstrated outstanding levels of dedication, enthusiasm and teamwork. We received the highest number of nominees for this category – a testament to our Parent Champions’ passion and hard work.
Nominees
Olive Sanderson, Doncaster
Olive has been a great asset to family hubs in Doncaster over the last 15 years. Olive has supported the local vulnerable families and children with a clothing bank, applies for funding to enable to support families that are in crisis, and is also a board member on the central family hub partnership meetings. From her nomination: “Olive is a massive part of the Balby Bridge community and I would like to put Olive forward for the award as she has made a massive difference for the local community.”
Charlotte Rogers, Barnet
Charlotte’s passion and enthusiasm has driven the force of championing for parents and children in the local community. She has tirelessly taken trips to shops, dentists, supermarkets signposting parents to the local services on offer. She has been a vocal voice in the local Advisory Board meetings and has taken part in many local meetings being the advocate for parents and children. Her gentle and kind approach has put parents at ease when she is supporting them. From her nomination “I cannot express how much Charlotte has done in so few words, She has paved the way for many other Parent Champions that join and they often see her as a mentor and a person who is passionate in helping parents and children in the community”
Adama Barry, Southwark
Adama has always been involved in making a huge difference in her local community, even before she was able to become an official Parent Champion. She has been an active member of the Family Hubs 0-2 Parent/Carer panel since its creation. Her most recent endeavor has been to undertake the training to become a Maternity Mate; offering 1-2-1 pregnancy, birth, and post-natal support to women living with challenging circumstances. And all of this while being mother to SEVEN of her own children!
Misha Patel, Kingston and Richmond
Misha has tirelessly dedicated herself to empowering local SEND parents, offering unwavering support, guidance and resources. Through her passionate commitment, she has fostered a community where parents feel heard, understood, and equipped to navigate the challenges of raising children with SEND. Misha goes above and beyond, advocating for inclusive policies, organising informational sessions, and providing a compassionate ear for those in need.
Heida Benayache, Brent
Heida has consistently demonstrated her passion for the wellbeing of each family she encounters through her actions. She goes above and beyond in providing meaningful support and care, ensuring that every individual feels valued and respected. Heida has exemplified extraordinary dedication and commitment, leaving a mark on both families and the community at large. Her impact on families, particularly through her support with interpreting, has been profound.
Hala Osman, Brent
Hala has been a shining example of dedication and service, not only fulfilling her role as a Parent Champion but also taking on multiple volunteer roles. Through her compassionate nature and unwavering commitment, Hala has touched the lives of countless individuals, creating a lasting positive impact on our community. Her ability to juggle various responsibilities while consistently making a difference sets her apart as a true champion for parents and families.
Winners
We have two winners this year. Congratulations to Orleen Mcintosh from Parent Champions Wandsworth and Linda Nystrom from Parent Champions Kingston and Richmond.
Linda is always available with great help and resources for parents of SEND children. One of her twenty nominations read:
Orleen is a mother, a grandmother and a carer who also works part time supporting SEND children in her local primary school.
Scheme of the Year
And last but certainly not least, is the Scheme of the Year award, which celebrates the incredible achievement of a whole Parent Champions team.
Nominees
Parent Champions Wandsworth
This year Wandsworth combined their successful Early Years Parent champions with their long standing SEND Parent champions and the achievements have been sensational.
The Parent Champions are trained to sit on internal recruitment panels, feedback on services to ensure that families have a voice, on top of all the events they attend and outreach.
They have Parent Champions sitting on panels for HAF, Parent Voice, Empowering Parents Empowering Communities and also working alongside their voluntary sector partners such as SEND in Mind, NHS Talking Therapy , Homestart, Little Village, Foodbanks, Family Hubs, ELAYS and the head of the social care team feeding back on how they can work more successfully with Parents going through the Child Protection process.
Parent Champions in Wandsworth are at the forefront of making sure "no child is left behind", and from their nomination, we heard - “I am so incredibly proud and honoured to co-ordinate such a phenomenal group, their lived experiences and diversity and enthusiasm makes my job easy. They have reached hundreds of families and taught professionals what it is like to be a parent in Wandsworth.”
Parent Champions Kingston and Richmond
It can be very isolating to find out that you are a parent or carer of a child with special educational needs and disabilities and this often prevents you from finding out information about local services and support. Rob Harris and Farah Ahmad from Achieving for Children who started the SEND Parent Champion scheme in Kingston and Richmond understood this as they are both SEND parents themselves. They knew that parents often get information from each other at the school gates and it was important that the helping parent had the right information and training. There are now 21 trained SEND Parent Champions around the boroughs and they reach out to hundreds of SEND parents through their local schools and networks.
The SEND Parent Champions scheme has achieved all of its initial goals to establish a network of parent volunteers to help other SEND parents and carers to access information about local services and support. The focus is about empowering the SEND Parent Champion volunteers to achieve their potential and to support them with any ideas they may have. These initiatives include joining a forum to consult on a new ADHD and Autism policy for Kingston or persuading their school to make their Christmas fair more accessible to children with SEND. They are a constant source of enthusiasm and resourcefulness.
Winner
Parent Champions Norfolk are this year’s Scheme of the Year. In Norfolk, the scheme has been adapted to best suit the needs of Ukrainian families. Resources have been translated in to Ukrainian and the training is delivered in Ukrainian. Through this, they have increased the amount of volunteers significantly.
Volunteers decide what they want to do to support their community - this includes organising a Christmas party (which was featured on local news and local newspaper), Easter craft session in the libraries, working with Family Hubs and Home-Start Norfolk program and their offer for parents of 0–18-year-olds to learn more about supporting families in their community.
Their scheme is making a huge impact, especially for the families who struggle to access the services they need because of the language barrier. The volunteers have become more confident, found new friends and have access to additional training such as Safeguarding, Family Network Approach, Mental Health Awareness.
At Christmas the Ukrainian Parent Champions identified that they wanted to host an event for Ukrainian families in Norfolk to be together. The Parent Champions delivered an event at The Family Hub with crafting activities, food, gifts and a traditional style Ukrainian Christmas which included a special visit from Father Christmas. This brought families into the Family Hub and became a familiar space for them where they can access further support if they need it.
We would like to congratulate all the winners and nominees as well as all the Parent Champions Volunteers around the country who make such a difference to their communities. Ellie Grace, Programmes and Development Manager, has shared:
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