Croydon Active Voices

01/06/2026

New Venue - Same Friendly Welcome!

Join Us for Our Croydon Active Voices Coffee Morning!

We're excited to be holding our next coffee morning at our new venue and would love to see you there.

Date: Thursday 4th June (and every 1st Thursday of the month during term time)
Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
Address: OurSpace Community Hub, 50 High Street, Croydon, CR0 1YB

Whether you're a parent carer of a child or young person with SEND, waiting for support, navigating services, or simply looking to connect with other families who understand, you're very welcome to join us.

Our coffee mornings are an informal space to:
- Meet other local parent carers
- Share experiences and information
- Find out what's happening locally
- Have your voice heard
- Enjoy a tea, coffee and a biscuit in good company

There is no agenda, no pressure and no expectation to speak. Come for five minutes or stay for the whole session.

We know that parenting a child or young person with SEND can sometimes feel isolating.

Connecting with others who understand can make a real difference.

Tea, coffee and biscuits provided and new faces are always welcome.

To give us an idea of numbers please and help us make sure we enough refreshments and seating please use the booking form below.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/EicPxMRU4g

Please feel free to share with other Croydon parent carers who may be interested.

19/05/2026

Good morning, CAV are hosting our first coffee morning at a new venue.

We will be at Bradmore Green Hub, Coulsdon from 10am to 12pm today Tuesday 19th, and every third Tuesday of the month (term time only).

Please feel free to pop by for a hot drink, chat, ask questions about SEND and navigating the system.

05/05/2026

🌿 EBSNA Workshop for Parents & Young People 🌿

Struggling with school attendance linked to emotional needs? You’re not alone—and support is here.

Join us for an informative and supportive workshop focused on Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA).

👩‍🏫 Hear from Croydon Educational Psychologist Nicola Tallis and a Croydon SENDIAS Advisor, who will guide you through:
• Understanding EBSNA
• Your legal rights
• School responsibilities
• Practical strategies to support young people

📅 Date: 14th May
⏰ Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
📍 Location: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Centre, Croydon

This session is open to parents, carers, and young people looking for clarity, support, and practical tools.

⚠️ Booking is essential – spaces are limited.

Let’s come together to better understand, support, and empower our young people. 💬
🌿 EBSNA Workshop for Parents & Young People 🌿

Struggling with school attendance linked to emotional needs? You’re not alone—and support is here.

Join us for an informative and supportive workshop focused on Emotionally Based School Non-Attendance (EBSNA).

👩‍🏫 Hear from Croydon Educational Psychologist Nicola Tallis and a Croydon SENDIAS Advisor, who will guide you through:
• Understanding EBSNA
• Your legal rights
• School responsibilities
• Practical strategies to support young people

📅 Date: 14th May
⏰ Time: 10:00am – 12:00pm
📍 Location: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Centre, Croydon

This session is open to parents, carers, and young people looking for clarity, support, and practical tools.

⚠️ Booking is essential – spaces are limited.

Let’s come together to better understand, support, and empower our young people. 💬

Booking form:
https://forms.cloud.microsoft/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=Z0cT7o0f_EePJQmRP5BjCA8vViggUl9El95cbIQl3hJUM1JYS0FaUzU5S1FJUkxWTjdLWEVSQTNYVC4u&route=shorturl

15/03/2026

Parent Carer Survey – PINS Project

At CAV, we have been working with the ICB and Local Authority on PINS (Partnership for Inclusion of Neurodiversity in Schools). The project supports schools to better understand and meet the needs of children who are neurodivergent or need extra help with communication, learning, attention, or emotional regulation.

The aim of PINS has been to work together with parent carers and schools, so families can share their experiences and schools can learn from them to shape future planning and support.

We have been working with 19 primary schools and their parent carers, and now we’d love your feedback via a short survey. Your experiences will help schools reflect on what has worked and plan future support.

Schools involved:
• All Saints Primary School
• Beulah Junior School
• Broadmead Primary School
• Coulsdon CofE Primary School
• Gonville Academy
• Gresham Primary School
• Harris Haling Park School
• Heavers Farm Primary School
• John Wood School & Nursery
• Margaret Roper Catholic Primary School
• Norbury Manor Primary School
• Orchard Way Primary School
• Rowdown Primary School
• St Cyprian’s Primary School
• St John’s CofE Primary School
• St Joseph’s Catholic Junior School
• St Mary’s Catholic Infant School
• The Hayes Primary School
• The Minster Primary School

If your child attends one of these schools, please take a few minutes to complete the survey. If not, please share this with other parent carers who might be eligible.

Thank you for helping schools learn from family experiences!

Survey link:

27/02/2026

Secondary Transfer 2026 – EHCP Parent Carer Experiences

We know that for some families of children with an EHCP, the move from Year 6 to secondary school this year has felt uncertain or stressful.
Croydon Active Voices has opened a Padlet to understand what families of children with EHCPs are currently experiencing around secondary school placements.

We’re looking to hear about:
• Where you are in the process (e.g. school named, waiting, panel, mediation, tribunal)
• What communication you’ve received
• What has felt helpful
• What has been difficult
• What would have made things easier

It takes just a few minutes to add a post. You can respond to one section or several, you don’t need to answer everything.

Posts are anonymous.

There is no account to set up.

Please don’t include names or identifying details.

This isn’t a route for individual casework or complaints. We’re trying to understand what secondary transfer currently looks like for families of children with EHCPs across Croydon.
What you share helps us raise parent carer experiences clearly in conversations about planning, placements and transition support.

The Padlet will remain open until Friday 13th March 2026.

If you or someone you know has a child with an EHCP transferring to secondary school in 2026 living in Croydon please share or use the link below to contribute:

This Padlet is for parent carers of Year 6 pupils transferring to secondary school in 2026. We are gathering patterns and themes about placements, communication and planning across Croydon. • You don’t need to answer every section • Please don’t include names or identifying details • Posts...

23/02/2026

A series of documents setting out the key information and proposed reforms in the schools white paper and SEND consultation document for parents and those working in the sector.

20/02/2026

Over the coming months, you will start to see that we’ll be using Padlets (simple online boards where you can add short comments anonymously). There’s no account to set up, and you don’t need to write a lot. A sentence is fine, and you can also add a voice note if that feels easier.

We’ll start by using Padlets in two main ways:
• A monthly general Padlet — a space to share what’s working, what’s hard, what support feels missing, and what would help.

• Occasional themed Padlets — when an issue needs more time and care, we’ll keep these open for longer.

Posts will always be anonymous and moderated. We use what’s shared to understand patterns and themes across Croydon, not individual cases.

We’ll share more details as each Padlet opens.

07/01/2026

FREE online workshops from Contact for Families for parent carers of children with SEND aged 0–5

*Friday 9 Jan – Supporting Speech, Language and Communication

*Thursday 15 Jan – Toilet Training Children with SEND

*Wednesday 21 Jan – Wellbeing Support for Families of Children with SEND

*Thursday 29 Jan – Understanding Your Child’s Sensory Differences

Free to attend
Online – join from home
Practical support for parent carers

Spaces fill fast – booking via Eventbrite ⬇️

Please share with other families who may find this helpful

For parents of children (aged 0-5) in England with a disability or additional needs including social communication challenges

25/12/2025

Merry Christmas from Croydon Active Voices 🎄

Wishing our whole community a Merry Christmas. We know this season can be a mixed time for many people, and however it feels for you and your families, please know you’re in our thoughts. Sending our very best wishes to you and your loved ones today and into the new year. ♥️

17/11/2025

NHS England have asked us to share the following. The surveys are for young people but the third one is also open to parent carers. They are all based on and reflective of the NHS 10 year plan and the 3 shifts.

The 2025/2026 NHS Young Researcher surveys are now LIVE!

Who are the NHS Young Researchers?

As part of the NHS Youth Forum, the NHS Young Researchers are a group of 16 – 25-year-olds who lead on research projects exploring the key healthcare challenges of their generation. This includes developing surveys, which aim to gather the views and experiences of young people from across the country. Working in partnership with NHSE and Barnardo’s, the Researchers will evaluate the findings and recommend interventions to improve care and outcomes. For more information, click this link: https://www.barnardos.org.uk/nhs-youth-forum

Please find the links for the surveys below to share with services and young people in your networks. If you have any questions, please contact the NHS Youth Forum inbox – [email protected]

What are the surveys about?
This year, the projects focus on the 3 big shifts outlined in the government's 10 Year Health Plan - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/10-year-health-plan-for-england-fit-for-the-future

Moving from analogue to digital
Key questions: Where do young people get their health information from? How do health information sources affect young people’s health decisions?
For respondents aged 13 – 25 years
Fill out the survey here - https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=GR8bF2d1PE27mnSK0D8wGrkBUHQHf3xNrarMs-VtB8xUNUdFNVQ3STRENVZaVjYxS1hSTkZWTkRHQyQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl

Preventing illness, not just treating it
Key questions: What are the barriers to young people accessing initial care? Do young people feel listened to by health services?
For respondents aged 13 – 25 years
Fill out the survey here - https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=GR8bF2d1PE27mnSK0D8wGrkBUHQHf3xNrarMs-VtB8xUOUNPNjAwOERTUjNZUUZMTkVXSzI2T0w3TCQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl

Moving care from hospitals to local communities:
Key question: What are people’s experience of community health care services?
For respondents;
Young people aged 11 – 25 years
Parents/carers of young people in the above age group
Clinical/non-clinical staff who work within community care for young people
Fill out the survey here - https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=GR8bF2d1PE27mnSK0D8wGrkBUHQHf3xNrarMs-VtB8xUMDdCWERWVVNGV1M2RTgwWUZaSzBWUkhJMiQlQCN0PWcu&route=shorturl

We really hope you can spread these surveys. The care and time taken by the young people to create them has been amazing and their passion to create change is felt throughout these pieces of work!

Your opportunity as a young person to have a say about the health services available to you.