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Sahan Society Centre

sahan society centre

London

Sahan Society Centre, based in Hayes town within the London Borough of Hillingdon, was incepted in 2006 at the back drop of the closure of the Hillingdon Race Equality Council (HREC), a centre in the Hayes locality and run by the local authority to advise, support and assist service users on equality and race-related issues. The centre had come to a close following a decision made by the local authority to transfer its services to the local authority’s civic centre during the early part of 2006. Prior to its closure, the HREC had carried out a local research on the usefulness of the services offered to its members and service users. It had transpired that the majority of those seeking the centre’s assistance (78%) were of Somali heritage based in the Hayes area amongst other BME communities. This reflected the growing Somali population in the area and the need for targeted assistance and support to be offered to the growing community. The local community, particularly young women and mothers, were unable to understand and utilize the services offered to assist them with their health and child care amongst other needs and found it difficult to communicate these needs due to language barriers and issues of trust. Upon the HREC’s closure, and following on from the research that was carried out in the local community, a discussion was held by the members of the community to create and support the establishment of a local centre aimed at assisting the needs of the local Somali community which had led to the inception of the Sahan Society Centre. Sahan Society Centre continues to support and assist a total of 300 members of the local community. The number of members actively using the centre’s services has grown year on year, starting from 50 in 2006 through to 256 in 2012. The centre is also having an increased number of memberships and participation from older and younger men in the community. Our Ethos as a charity serving the needs of the vulnerable members of our local community are: To promote the participation, integration and cohesion of our members in their communities. To enhance the health and well being of Somali and other BME vulnerable mothers and children through education and leisure. To bridge the gap between Somali and other BME mothers and service providers, assist them with their needs and voice their concerns appropriately on their behalf.

Brent Parent

brent parent

Wembley

Our regular coffee mornings and evening meetings are informal and relaxed. We often invite guest speakers from education, health and early years to talk to parents about local SEND services and answer their questions. Even if a particular guest speaker does not interest you, there is always time for a chat and a hot drink at every meeting. Children are also welcome to attend. There is no pressure to come regularly or even stay for the whole session as we know that your free time can be limited and unpredictable. Events We run workshops and training events for parents on a wide range of SEND-related issues. As well as gaining expertise and insight, you will be supported by other parent carer trainers who may have lived through the stage of your ‘journey’ and who will have knowledge and information to share with you that could be really beneficial. We also organise information days which give parents, carers and young people the chance to meet local services and providers. Partnership working We work closely with Brent Council, health providers, schools and other organisations to help design and deliver local services that meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. We regularly attend their meetings and committees to feedback the views and experiences of our members. Parent carers can help to highlight problems that are frequently experienced by families of children with additional needs, and this knowledge is useful to help professionals make informed choices about local services. Evidence shows that this sort of active participation leads to improved service provision, take up and ultimately better outcomes for children and young people with SEND. WHO WE ARE The forum is an independent, parent-led organisation that helps bring together parents and carers of children and young people aged 0-25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Brent. We help and support families of children with SEND by providing information, advice and a listening ear. By gathering ideas and feedback from our members, we also work closely with local organisations to positively improve the planning and delivery of services in Brent for children and young people with additional needs and disabilities. Set up in 2017, our forum is run by a friendly group of volunteers who are all parent carers and understand the issues and challenges that looking after a child with SEND can bring.