Milton Keynes Parent Partnership Service

Helping You to Help Your Child

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IPS Training

What is an Independent Parental Supporter?

An Independent Parental Supporter (IPS) is an unpaid volunteer, who is free of any potential conflict of interest, and who has attended an extensive Parent Partnership training course. They have knowledge of special educational needs (SEN) processes and procedures, and have excellent verbal and written communication skills.

An Independent Parental Supporter is able to support families, who have a child with special educational needs, by helping them to understand or write letters, reports and educational documents; and are able to offer support in meetings with professionals.

The Milton Keynes Parent Partnership IPS training course consists of 9 half-day sessions held on a weekly basis during term time. The course covers:

  • The effective IPS
  • Parents and professionals
  • Law and guidance
  • Schools and Early Years
  • Statutory procedure
  • Statutory assessment
  • Statements
  • Reviews

Informal interviews are held with each applicant at the beginning and end of each training course, to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills required to support the families who contact us. All our IPS are checked with the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).

Once part of the Parent Partnership team, there will be a period of shadowing and mentoring, and on-going training and support is offered on a regular basis.

Join out team!

Download an application pack

Would you like to be able to make a difference? As a volunteer Independent Parental Supporter you will need to be comfortable in a role which will bring you into contact with a wide range of people, dealing with sometimes complex procedures.

You will need to be:

  • Confident
  • A good listener, communicator & negotiator
  • Patient
  • Honest
  • Able to respect confidentiality
  • Committed to putting the best interests of the child first
  • Free of any potential conflict of interest

You will need to be available for the training course and, when qualified, give a commitment to support families for a period of at least 6 months. The amount of time required is not defined, it is dependent on the time you have available and the needs of the families you are working with.

Download an application pack