Have your say on disability services
Your Voice Counts
Your Voice Counts is based in Gateshead. As an advocacy service it provides help, advice and support for people with learning disabilities and their families. Advocacy is when a person makes sure that someone's voice is heard, either by speaking up for them or supporting them to speak up for themselves. Find out more at the Your Voice Counts website.
Listen 4 A Change
Listen 4 A Change is a volunteer group of parents and carers of children and young people who have a disability or additional need. It helps service providers to meet the needs of families by working together and sharing knowledge and experience. You can find out more at the Listen 4 A Change website.
STAN
South Tyneside Active Network is a local authority service for children with special needs or disabilities and their families.
The aim of the service is to build a database of all children in South Tyneside with special needs or a disability.
This will help us to plan services for children with disabilities and keep parents informed of local, regional and national issues around disabled children and their families.
Is my child eligible?
For a child to be eligible for Network membership they must have a lifelong disability or special need. Health conditions such as asthma and diabetes cannot be accepted alone for Network registration at the moment.
Children must be under 18 and living in South Tyneside. If you have any questions, please call us.
Registering
To join the Network you must complete a registration form on behalf of your child.
You can:
- call us and we'll post a registration form to you, or
- complete the registration form online
On becoming a Network member you receive:
- an application form for up to 5 Max cards per household. Max cards give you free swimming at Temple Park and Hebburn pools and discounted entry to over 50 regional attractions including the Centre for Life in Newcastle, Alnwick Castle and the Alnwick Garden.
- a birthday card each year for your registered child.
- three newsletters per year that come out before the Christmas, Easter and summer holidays which keep you up-to-date with news and information about activities in the holidays, children groups, health information and much more. The newsletters contain invitations to join our parent support groups, consultation groups, Parents' Forum and activity groups.
- an open invitation to become more involved in planning services for children with disabilities and their families. From time to time the Network surveys members - your views are very valuable and will help us to improve council services for children with disabilities and their families. Through the Network you can become a parent representative, attending meetings and steering groups to ensure children with disabilities are taken into account when children's services are being discussed.
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