Volunteering for the Parent Carer Forum
The Parent Carer Forum ‘Parent Reps’ make up the Strategic Board we host as a forum. They all offer their time voluntarily and we are thankful for their support, passion and enthusiasm. They help us to make decisions about the focus on the forum, and share wider experiences that they gather through groups and networks within the community. They attend regular strategic meetings focussed on their interests and where they have the most expertise. All of them are parent carers in their own right with a wealth of experience over many years. All Parent Reps undergo training to support their role and regular catchups and opportunities to meet. This team is led by our Strategic Lead (Jayne Stevens) founder of the Forum, and makes up our formal ‘Strategic Representative Board’ that meets on a monthly basis, to which all reps are invited.
Parent Reps
Meet Our Current Reps
Hello, I’m Amen Owuna, a proud parent of a wonderful son with Down syndrome. As a parent representative with PODs, I am passionate about connecting with and supporting other parents of children with special needs. I am also deeply interested in exploring and influencing policies that govern special needs provisions in the United Kingdom ensuring they are inclusive and supportive for all families.
I’m Yas, and I am 33 years old. I have two children. Ethan (age 12) who has childhood apraxia of speech, dyspraxia, hypermobility and sensory processing disorder. Lily (age 5) who has hypermobility and suspected ADHD. Ethan attends a specialist secondary school and Lily currently attends a mainstream primary.
I stumbled across PODS many years ago when my son Ethan was first diagnosed in a frantic bid to try and find local families we could connect with. I have made some lifelong friends through PODS and would genuinely be lost without PODS. I decided to join as a parent rep just over a year ago and I love being part of the team.
My areas of interest are speech and language, communication boards and transport.
Outside of PODS, I am also a trustee for a charity called Mikey’s Wish Foundation. This is a charity which aims to support for those with speech, language and communication needs.
Carl Bailey my son is 6 and attends a special school. He has Autism, learning disability and a chromosome deletion. I became a rep in 2023.
About me: I’m the Service Manager for a local children and young people’s charity, Challenging Perceptions . Supporting CYP with Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism.
Outside of work I’m a governor and EYFS Link for The Bridge School. I’m also a governor for Midlands Partnership Foundation NHS Trust, Co-chair and CYP lead for Telford Mental Health Forum and Chair of Directors at Park Lane Centre.
I also sit on West Mercia Police advisory groups and SaTH hospital panels amongst other things. Due to my day job, I am involved in a lot of meetings across Telford, sometimes there will be overlaps with other rep’s areas of interest.
Hi my name is Simon Buckley-robins I’ve been a pods parent rep for over 10 years, I’m been married to Mandy for 23 years and our daughter Emma is 21 years old she is non verbal, autistic with severe learning difficulties and adhd she went to the bridge school then willow tree now as a adult she goes to my options day service and has a Pa, the areas I’m interested in is short breaks and adult services and the inclusive leisure
Hello, my name is Sian, and I am a Parent Carer Representative for PODS and I joined this role in 2024. I am a proud parent to a wonderful five year old little boy who is autistic, non-verbal, and attends a specialist school.
I have a passion for understanding and advocating for neurodiversity and through this forum, I aim to connect with other parents, share experiences, and foster a supportive space where we can celebrate our children’s strengths. It is also a space to navigate challenges together, and champion acceptance and inclusion in our community.
I am always happy to speak with new people so please feel free to get in touch.
My name is Keiron Warr and I’m a long serving Parent Representative for over 10 years. Alongside my wife, we are legal guardians for our grandson who is on the autistic spectrum and attends mainstream education, with additional support from specialist hub when required. My areas of interest are around commissioning and adult carers workstream areas and I attend these meetings regularly and feed into the monthly strategic meetings.
My name is Karen Jones, I’m mum to 3 children aged 28 (Tom), 24 (Izzy) and 22 (Harry). My youngest son was diagnosed as Autistic at 18 months old. Harry has a learning disability and complex medical issues including epilepsy and issues with hypertonia & dyspraxia. Harry is non-verbal and uses an iPad to communicate. He attended The Bridge School for 11yrs followed by 5yrs at Overley Hall Residential School. I have been a parent rep with PODS for ??? Years. Harry moved into his own home, with 1-1 247 supported living 4yrs ago. Transition, Supported Living and Adult Services are my areas of interest.
Tina is a single parent to Oliver who is 11 and attends The Bridge School. She has been a member of PODS/ Parent Rep for approx 7 years. Tina became a PODS Parent Rep to represent and offer support to the more severe /complex children and their families. She understands the feeling of isolation and not knowing where to go for support.
Oliver is non verbal autistic, has severe learning difficulties a swell as complex medical needs such as bilateral vocal chord palsy, chronic lung disease (he is peg fed and oxygen dependant at times) he has a chromosome issue and a bilateral squint amongst other issues. Oliver is a Swan (Syndrome without A Name) as he has no overall syndrome diagnosed. Life has been very hard but Oliver is always happy and loves life!
Tina is also the Shropshire Parent Rep for Swan UK, Trustee/treasurer of The Bridge School PFA and helped run Shining Stars Sen Toddler Group for 7 years.
I am Liz, the proud parent of a 24-year-old young man with Down’s Syndrome, and I am deeply committed to creating opportunities for individuals with learning disabilities/difficulties to thrive as active, valued members of their communities. Everyone deserves the chance to live a fulfilling life and have the same opportunities as others.
Together with another parent, I co-founded a community café that provides invaluable work experience for young people with additional needs while hosting inclusive activities for all. We also launched the Funky Friday Inclusive Disco, a popular monthly event where young adults with additional needs can dance, socialise, and connect in a fun, supportive environment. Additionally, I am the treasurer of Shropshire Rugby Rebels Disability Tag Rugby team, a fantastic initiative that brings people of all ages together to stay active, build confidence, and enjoy team sports.
As a parent representative, my primary focus areas are supporting the transition to adulthood and advocating for opportunities that enable young adults with additional needs to socialise, gain meaningful work or volunteer experience, and live semi-independently.
I am Lisa, married to Grant and mum to 2 grown up children, and our 9year old son.
They are all Neurodiverse – and life at home can be colourful and challenging in many ways!
They are also all very bright academically, and subsequently this made getting any kind of support for them challenging as they mask their difficulties!
My eldest 2 are still living at home and my dad also lives with us. My husband and I own a card shop, this can make life very busy at certain times of the year (ie Christmas!), but being self-employed allows us to have the flexibility to make sure everyone at home has their needs met!
I am passionate about SEND needs being recognised and met and how this can be done especially when school are either not being helpful or simply not seeing any issues and helping to make sure that parents/carers and families voices are heard.
In 2023, after receiving a diagnosis of Tourettes Syndrome for our son, I set up the Tourettes Action Telford Support Group as a way of providing peer support for ourselves but for many other families I knew were seeking support, advice and information. Through the training I dd for this I gained valuable insight and confidence.
When I’m not being mum I play crown green bowls, I have played in the county team for over 20 years and competitions regularly throughout the summer. It’s a welcome break away from home life but is also inclusive and my son also enjoys playing now!
Staff Reps
The PODS Charity employs a number of staff. Their roles and experience also feed into the Parent Carer Forum – sharing those experiences from families and their own lived experiences.
Champions
We also want to work with parent carers who feel they can represent us within the local communities – by sharing our information at schools, doctors, colleges, hospitals etc to ensure we can reach as many families as possible.
Training and support is available for all these roles.
Out of pocket expenses are made for these roles and full support is given.
If you would like to find out more or discuss what this might involve, please contact
