Local organisations and community groups are being invited to a special event to learn how to make their services more accessible and welcoming for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities.
The gathering, titled Portsmouth: Our Inclusive City, is scheduled for Thursday 3rd July from 10am to 1pm at Portsmouth Central Library. Portsmouth City Council is organising the event with delivery by Kids, a national charity supporting disabled children and young people.
The session will concentrate on prioritising accessibility, ensuring services are created with everyone in consideration, particularly those who might encounter barriers.
Participants will discover how to collaborate with families and young people to enhance services through co-production – a method that involves listening to people’s experiences and incorporating their suggestions for improvement.
Councillor Nick Dorrington, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Education at Portsmouth City Council, said:
“Developing inclusive services that truly address our communities’ needs is vital for supporting children, young people, and families to flourish.
“Co-production offers a powerful approach to achieve this – by collaborating, we guarantee that real-life experiences influence how services are planned and provided. National Co-production Week presents an excellent chance to champion this method and encourage more organisations to integrate it into their daily operations.”
Dynamite, a Portsmouth young people’s group, already employs this method to ensure those aged 14-25 years have input into how youth services operate.
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The group runs a young inspectors programme, where three to four young people visit city venues to assess their accessibility.
This scheme develops individual confidence whilst helping drive improvements through positive feedback.
Michelle Cowley, group coordinator at Dynamite, commented:
“Participating in co-production has proved extremely fulfilling. The programme demonstrates the importance of hearing from people with lived experience. When young people get chances to express their opinions and influence the services they use, it generates genuine ownership and pride.
“We’ve witnessed directly how this method increases confidence, promotes independence, and results in more inclusive, considerate services throughout the city.”
Tickets are available for organisations and community groups seeking to develop inclusive and accessible services.
For further details and to obtain your ticket, visit www.portsmouthlocaloffer.org/CCW.
