About us
SEND Family Voice Redcar & Cleveland
We are a group of parents whose children each have an array of special educational needs. We feel incredibly passionate about ensuring the services in our area meet the needs of all our children and young people. We want to make sure that each one of our families feel fully included, supported and empowered throughout their journeys in caring for someone with additional needs.
SEND Family Voice supports young people with special educational needs and their families
Michelle Caddy
Chair – SEND Family Voice Redcar & Cleveland
“There are two ways of exerting one’s strength: one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.” – Booker T.Washington
My name is Michelle Caddy and I am the Chair of the parent carer forum in Redcar & Cleveland, recently renamed as ‘SEND Family Voice, Redcar & Cleveland’.
My own experience of living this challenging, but rewarding life, started with a diagnosis of autism for my eldest son in 2014. At the time I was a full time English teacher in a busy and demanding secondary school, but fast forward to 2016, a new baby in 2015, and it was clear that my path was changing direction and I became a full-time carer. That was a really hard time and I have worked hard on the practice of radical acceptance. It isn’t always easy but ultimately I have changed my whole outlook on who my children were born to be, and I wouldn’t change them for the world.
My youngest is also autistic so as the mother of two autistic children, I have a fair amount of experience on things that work, things that don’t, and I am still learning. My children are my greatest teachers on autism, and on life really!
I am optimistic that SEND Family Voice, Redcar & Cleveland can re-invigorate and represent the collective voice of the SEND community, so together we can drive change and improvements for our wonderful children and young people.
“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – E.M.Forster
Helen Morse
Vice-Chair – SEND Family Voice Redcar & Cleveland
“There are many tenets of wholeheartedness, but at its very core is vulnerability and worthiness; facing uncertainty, exposure, and emotional risks, and knowing that I am enough.” – Brené Brown
Hello my name is Helen and have two amazingly wonderful and yet very different boys Leo 7 and Jesse 3. Leo has Pathological Demand Avoidance which is a form of Autism he was also referred last year to be assessed for ADHD. My littlest is Neurotypical.
Before giving up work to care for Leo full time I was an Early Years Teacher and then in 2019 I qualified as a children’s yoga teacher. I’m a single parent and use a lot of my experience to create a calm and accommodating home environment for both boys and their different needs. I also run a support group for PDA in the North East.
I feel really privileged to be a part of Redcar and Cleveland Parent Carer Forum. I’m lucky to work with some amazing people, who like me, I feel very passionately about representing families and empowering carers. We understand that SEND journey and all its big feelings; it’s its joyful moments, its difficulties, the ups and downs and the strength it takes to get your child’s needs met.
I believe that the key to changing things for the better starts with our collective voices. Children and young people’s voices are heard and advocated for, families feel empowered to influence professionals to take a person centred approach and we as parent carers are allies to each other, our families and the SEND, neurodiverse community.
“If we don’t stand up for our children, then we don’t stand for much.” – Marian Wright Edelman
Kristi Everest
Steering Group member
“It’s not worth doing something unless someone, somewhere, would much rather you weren’t doing it.” – Terry Pratchett
Hi. I’m Kristi.
I have several years experience parenting 4 children with a range of differences, disabilities and special needs. I’m also neurodiverse myself. I have a range of professional qualifications in both SEND and health but my first passion has always been to support families like mine.
I’m particularly interested in the areas of very medically complex and technology-dependent children, mental health, neurodiversity, and support for families facing life-threatening or life-limiting diagnoses or those already bereaved.
I am also involved with a number of charities who support those issues, both locally and nationally, as well as with research aimed at improving complex and palliative care nationwide.
I know how damaging it is when familes feel ignored or unheard, so my desire is to support families in become stronger, more confident advocates for their child, their family and themselves.
“Sometimes it’s better to light a flamethrower than curse the darkness.” – Terry Pratchett
Anne Marie Head
Steering Group member
“Throughout history, the really fundamental changes in societies have come about not from the dictates of governments and the results of battles, but through vast numbers of people changing their minds, sometimes only a little bit.” – Willis Harman
Hello, my name is Anne Marie Head and I am a mother to two boys, aged 10 and 8. My eldest son has a learning disability and complex behavioural difficulties. I have dyslexia, dyscalculia and am currently undergoing assessment for ADHD; I am proudly neurodivergent and want to use my experience with this in the Steering Group of SEND Family Voice, Redcar & Cleveland. I am also the founder and CEO of Tees Valley Buddies, a charity that focuses on neurodiverse self-advocacy and peer support networking across Tees Valley. My two roles complement each other incredibly well and build on my own passion and drive to ensure all voices are heard within the SEND and neurodivergent communities, and that those views are used to bring about change and improvement for children, young people and families within Redcar & Cleveland.
Mari-Anne Regan
Steering Group member
My name is Mari-Anne Regan, I am the parent of 2 amazing little girls who are 3 and 5 years. My oldest, Ellie, was diagnosed with ASD at 3 and a half. Prior to my world of SEND; for 10 years I worked in management in the Leisure and Hospitality industry. I look forward to putting the skills learned to good use, for and on behalf of SEND Family Voice, Redcar and Cleveland.
I am pleased to be part of the Steering Group to represent families in the area. During and since my daughter’s diagnosis, finding and accessing other services was a huge struggle.
I am passionate about making sure parents in our area not only have a voice in deciding what this looks like, but also are informed about what is out there for them. I look forward to meeting parent/carers, build relationships and contributing to creating positive change.
Paul Corless
Steering Group member
Hi I’m Paul, I’m a full time Carer to my wife and have 3 girls.
My eldest and youngest both have difficulties which as of yet haven’t been picked up in the system by professionals.
My eldest has been diagnosed with both Sensory Processing Difficulties and Developmental Co-Ordination Disorder and at present undergoing a private assessment.
My youngest again has been diagnosed with Sensory Processing Difficulties and Anxiety. She presents with Demand avoidance, Social and emotional difficulties; these are becoming more apparent the older she gets. She also is undergoing a private assessment.
I joined SEND Family Voice in order to to help drive change. I want to support families like ours, through the ups and downs seem we all seem to go through on a daily basis. I’m especially influenced by my daughters and my family’s challenges I really want to see positive change in the way autism in girls is understood.
SEND Family Voice’s aim is to improve families’ quality of life.
Supporting young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families
We feel incredibly passionate about ensuring the services in our area meet the needs of all our children and young people.
