Parentsactive was established in 2001 to support families of disabled children in Hammersmith & Fulham. The Children and Families Act of 2014 has meant that all local authorities must involve families and children in discussions and decisions relating to their care and education, Parentsactive became the Parent Carer Forum for Hammersmith & Fulham. Parentsactive and its membership has grown over the years and during that time we have held many events and workshops relevant to disabled children and their families. We were grateful to be hosted by HF Mencap from 2003 – Summer 2024. We are now an independent organisation in our own right.

Parentsactive provide a support network, regular training sessions and work with the local authority to help shape services for disabled children and young people to ensure that their needs are met. We do this by getting the views of local families and working in partnership with education settings, health providers and other relevant bodies within the local authority; this allows us to highlight when things are working well or challenge when improvements need to be made.

Parentsactive is a Community Interest Company, which is steered by a committee of volunteer parent carers, who meet regularly to help plan activities and direct the overall focus for the forum. Our main source of funding comes from the Third Sector Fund at the Local Authority and the Department of Education.

Mary Melsom is our Chair of Directors.
Nandini Ganesh is our Director and CEO.
Caroline Speirs is our Director of Development and Coproduction (adults).
Reema Sharma is our Parentsactive Coordinator.

We are part of the National Network of Parent Carer Forums.