Explaining PCNAs, News & a few wizards 1st February 2016 Dear All Very good news about the Parent Carer Needs Assessment…
Parent Carer Needs Assessments (PCNA) #1 – what is it? Sounds good? Very simply a PCNA is about parents & carer's needs - assessing what parents & carers need to enable them to carry on caring. SEND Family Voices, as a group run by volunteers (parents of children & young people with SEND), we know how important it is for our children to have a break from us... and vice versa! Most children hopefully go on play dates, or young people go out with their friends; or spend time with close relatives. That can be a much more complicated arrangement for us. We're working with Clive Seall (AfC's Strategic Head of Family Support) and the Richmond & Kingston Carer’s organisations to clarify the PCNA process - and ultimately work out how the assessment and any support will manifest. The current route to a PCNA is through the SPA (single point of access) and we're all aiming to make this much more evident. Likewise, at the moment one area of support is short breaks, and you may wish to apply for these (see Easy Read guide on our Useful Documents page). Our feedback tells us these are often not long enough to give families a break, although they may be long enough for the child or young person to have some fun. Wouldn't it be great to ask for a PCNA and come out with an assessment that directs you to support? ...and if the support is not there; then at least it's documented and can feed into future commissioning. You could also seek funding to create that support. You may ask 'what is the eligibility criteria for a PCNA'? The answer is as simple as 'please can I have one' or it might be a SENCo, family support worker, or similar, that refers you. More news to follow. We can't wait! More co-production!
Parent Carer Needs Assessments (PCNA) #2 – the law The law for this is overlaying, slightly confusing and (possibly) in some places contradictory. Not being lawyers, this is as we understand it… Section 17 of the Children’s Act 1989 (the opening of Section 17): Provision of services for children in need, their families and others. (1) It shall be the general duty of every local authority (in addition to the other duties imposed on them by this Part)— a) to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need; and b) so far as is consistent with that duty, to promote the upbringing of such children by their families, by providing a range and level of services appropriate to those children’s needs.