Family fortunes - Srabani Sen, chief executive, Contact a Family
Neil Puffett
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Contact a Family might be celebrating its 30th year, but the charity is displaying few signs of its age.
Asked what the future holds, chief executive Srabani Sen displays a web-savvy streak by speaking enthusiastically about the potential of new technology and the internet.
Having been in post for just over a year, Sen has overseen the launch of a pioneering online advice centre in Second Life, a virtual world staffed by real-life advisers.
In June, the online advice centre had 321 virtual visitors, while the charity also has a presence on social networking sites Facebook (1,328 fans) and Twitter (2,812 followers and counting). It also posts videos on YouTube and creates podcasts.
Sen is determined to move with the times by delivering support and advice in as many ways as possible.
Digital work
"Through our online, digital and media work we are reaching groups of parents that have traditionally been hard to reach," she says.
"We are quite surprised by the numbers accessing our services in this way. That is very much the way of the world and it's important that we make ourselves available to families that need support in as many different ways as possible."
Despite having made great strides on the technological front, Sen acknowledges that huge challenges remain as the charity seeks to further the cause of disabled children and their families.
A recent survey published by Contact a Family found that 70 per cent of families with a disabled child felt social acceptance and understanding of their situation was poor. Meanwhile, around 60 per cent of respondents felt they were not listened to by professionals.
Sen says the government's Aiming High For Disabled Children strategy, launched in May 2007, has made a good start in beginning the transformation of services for disabled children but thinks there is a still a long way to go.
Daily prejudice
"When I joined Contact a Family it struck me how little known the issues affecting disabled children and families were. The level of public ignorance around those issues I found quite surprising. I think one of the things that struck me when I was meeting families was the level of prejudice they were facing on a day-to-day basis, and the lack of profile the issues affecting families had.
"I looked at how we can take families with disabled children out of the shadows where they currently sit and how to wipe away a lot of the prejudices those families face."
As well as social issues, the charity is facing a number of other challenges for the future.
These include ensuring the voices of families with disabled children continue to be heard within the current political environment of economic uncertainty.
Sen's predecessor Francine Bates is special adviser to Children's Secretary Ed Balls. Sen is also acutely aware that the Aiming High for Disabled Children strategy had substantial money behind it - £430m - and that lobbying for additional cash once that runs out will be essential.
She's also concerned about how the current allocation is being spent in some regions. "One of the real tensions around Aiming High For Disabled Children is primary care trusts (PCTs) stepping up to the plate," she explains.
"With local authorities the money is ringfenced but with PCTs it is not. We really need to work out how to get PCTs and local authorities working in unison. Where that is happening, it is beginning to deliver real change on the ground. It is about PCTs spending money on what it was meant for."
Despite the challenges, Sen appears confident she is in a position to drive through changes that will make a difference to the lives of disabled children and their families.
"It's not right that families are reaching breaking point because they can't get the services they should to support them in living the life they choose.
"What drives me is the knowledge that Contact a Family is an organisation that can make a difference and that is something we have to do."
CONTACT A FAMILY - HOW THE CHARITY MAKES A DIFFERENCE
- Contact a Family provides support, advice and information for families with disabled children, regardless of their condition or disability
- The charity seeks to empower all families with disabled children to live the lives they choose, and achieve their full potential
- Help on offer can include information and advice, family support and putting parents in contact with people in a similar situation to them
- Advisers also help families find out what benefits are on offer
- Last year, Contact a Family helped more than 300,000 families with disabled children