Kingston Parent Carer Forum (KPCF) is committed to an ethos of diversity and inclusion. We endeavour to be the voice for all our families. Including those from an ethnic minority background, so that we can capture and address your issues and challenges in getting the right support for your children.

Research shows that local community organisations such as KPCF have a major role to play in identifying and contacting local families from Black, Asian, Minority and Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds¹. Ethnicity contributes to health inequalities, leading to poorer access to healthcare² for those of us from ethnic minorities, and a double disadvantage when trying to access services³. The National Autistic Society highlights that BAME families sometimes suffer greater stigma due to cultural prejudices and lack of cultural awareness from service providers, and are often unaware of the services available to them.

KPCF is acting as a bridge between families and service providers to increase awareness and access to SEND related services. We will continue to do outreach to families in the Kingston area to increase awareness and provide BAME specific content and where possible provide links to resources in multiple languages to ensure inclusion of all ethnic communities.

We value the support and reassurance that families can provide to each other through their personal experiences, and are confident that in joining the KPCF, you will benefit from being part of the local, friendly and inclusive SEND community.

1^ https://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/learning-disabilities/publications/reaching-out-people-learning-disabilities-and-their-families-bme-communities

2^ https://www.autism.org.uk/search?searchTerm=BAME

3 https://contact.org.uk/search-results/?s=BAME