We like to see parent carers having a break. We provide short sessions such as advice & well-being sessions, social events, pamper treatments and craft activities. We are also able to offer individualised support to help with any challenges you may have in your caring role or life in general. These usually happen whilst your children are engaged in activities or during school hours.
During this year there has been a real push to increase both the profile of our parent carer community by gaining representation in more strategic groups such as Sandwell Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board and to increase the understanding of the parent carer role within the organisations and amongst the professionals operating within the Borough of Sandwell.
In June 2022 we launched our parent carer “Lasting Piece of Art” project. This project provided a unique opportunity for many parent carers to work together to produce a magnificent piece of artwork that sets out the thrills and joys of being a parent carer alongside the challenges of the role. The artwork, which takes the form of a dragon, offers a pictorial insight into how parent carers feel. One of our parents was so inspired by the piece that he wrote a poem about his role as a parent carer. The poem can be found at the end of this annual report.
In September 2022 SPDC parent carers were invited to deliver a presentation about what it is like to be a parent carer at an NHS event. The Lasting Piece of Art or Dragon as it is affectionately known, was displayed in front of 400 NHS staff at the Sandwell NHS Fundamentals of Care meeting and the parent carer who wrote the poem read it aloud to members of the Health and Wellbeing Board.
Furthermore, The Dragon is currently supporting a unique learning opportunity for professionals working in Sandwell Council, Sandwell Public Health, Sandwell Children’s Trust as well other clinical and educational settings, as it is currently “on tour”. By this we mean that the artwork is being displayed in a variety of public settings across the Borough of Sandwell, thereby enabling numerous professionals to see first-hand what being a parent carer is all about.