Rotherham Parents Forum Limited

Who we are

Rotherham Parents Forum Limited is a local charity supporting families of children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), as well as neurodivergent adults, across Rotherham.

As Rotherham’s recognised Parent Carer Forum, we give parent carers opportunities to share their experiences and views, and we work with partners across education, health and social care to help ensure families’ voices influence the development and delivery of local SEND services.

Alongside our voice and influence work, we provide a range of support and services for families and neurodivergent adults. These include information and advice, peer support, activities and opportunities to connect with others, SEND-focused support, and services designed to improve wellbeing, inclusion and access to support.

Our work is rooted in the local community and shaped by the experiences and needs of the people we support.

Our culture and values

Our work is underpinned by four core values: Welcome and Care, Value and Include, Communicate, and Partnership.

Welcome and Care means creating an environment where people feel safe, supported and welcomed. We recognise that people may come to us at challenging times and aim to respond with kindness, understanding and compassion.

Value and Include means recognising the strengths, experiences and contributions of every individual. We value lived experience, celebrate difference and aim to make our services and working practices inclusive and accessible, including for neurodivergent people.

Communicate means listening as well as sharing information. We aim to communicate openly, respectfully and accessibly, giving people opportunities to express their views and ensuring their voices are heard.

Partnership reflects our belief that we achieve better outcomes by working together. We work collaboratively with families, neurodivergent adults, staff, volunteers, community organisations and partners across education, health and social care.

These values guide both the services we provide and how we work as an organisation. We aim to be person-centred, inclusive and responsive, with lived experience and the voices of the people we support at the heart of our work.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Rotherham Parents Forum Limited is committed to creating a fair, inclusive and supportive workplace where everyone is treated with dignity and respect and has the opportunity to contribute and develop.

We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, bullying, or victimisation, and we aim to ensure our employment practices are fair and inclusive, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

We recognise and value difference and lived experience within our workforce, including neurodiversity, disability and caring responsibilities. We understand that treating people fairly does not always mean treating everyone in the same way, and we aim to make reasonable adjustments and provide appropriate support where this helps remove barriers to participation or employment.

Our approach includes using fair and transparent recruitment and selection processes, making reasonable adjustments throughout recruitment and employment, providing accessible communication wherever possible, and ensuring employment decisions are based on the requirements of the role and relevant skills, experience and capability.

Our values of Welcome and Care, Value and Include, Communicate, and Partnership underpin how we work with one another. We encourage an open culture where people can raise concerns, ask for support and challenge behaviours or practices that do not reflect our commitment to fairness and inclusion.

We continue to review and develop our working practices to ensure they remain inclusive and responsive to our workforce's needs.