Aimhigher Lancashire, National Families Conference

'Valuing Families, Valuing Diversity'

A summary of the conference

A list of workshops and Information Sheets

An outline of Keynote Speakers

Future Conferences and further information

Summary

Aimhigher Lancashire hosted its second National Families conference 'Valuing Families, Valuing Diversity' at Lancaster University on the 24th May 2006. The programme consisted of keynote speakers and workshops. Our keynote speakers outlined:

• Aimhigher Lancashire's 'working with family' achievements
• national Aimhigher policy with respect to disabled learners and their families
• a Local Authority approach to using community
• development to engage hard to reach families
• research based on views of Cumbrian parents

Our programme of workshops explored a range of practical issues and showcased examples of good practice covering work with families:

• about finance
• in a school setting
• about issues associated with disability
• attending a summer school programme
• accessed by collaboration with community and voluntary sector

A list of workshops and Information Sheets

The following Information Sheets contain key issues and Top Tips for how practitioners can engage families in their aspiration and awareness raising higher education activities.

Information Sheet 1: Exploring financial concerns with parents – a family learning approach

Information Sheet 2: Engaging parents within a school setting to address parental concerns on accessing HE

Information Sheet 3: Working with parents to improve access into HE for disabled students

Information Sheet 4: Aiming4uni in Furness Cumbria Aimhigher Summer Schools

Information Sheet 5: Working with the community and voluntary sector to raise ethnic minority families aspirations about FE and HE

Keynote speakers

Mike Wray Action on Access

Working with parents with disabled young people -some examples from around the country

Mike is the Disability Co-ordinator for Action on Access, working nationally to provide disability support to higher education institutions, liasing with the Higher Education Academy and the Equality Challenge Unit as well as other strategically linked organisations such as Skill.

Paul Davies CSET, Lancaster University

Furness Progression Project: the Views of Younger Pupils, their Parents and their Teachers

Paul focused on a research study he worked on which was a collaborative project with Connexions Cumbria to provide a better understanding of the process students go through whilst deciding whether or not to progress with education beyond compulsory education.

David McNulty, Chief Executive of Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council

Dreams, Dialogues and Desires

David shared his insights of how we can engage with the community including disinterested and excluded learners. Drawing upon his experiences of working with Blackburn with Darwen Local Authority he has recently written 'Dreams, dialogues and desires' a NIACE publication which illustrates how important it is to listen to families to ensure responsive services are provided.

Future conferences and further information

'Connect 5' The Inter-relationships between Young People, Families, Education, Careers and their World Aimhigher Lancashire, National Families Conference, 2007
Please email Ann-Marie Houghton or telephone 01524 510817