TreeHouse Annual Lecture 2009 - The Lamb Inquiry: Improving outcomes for children with autism?

EDIT: The contest mentioned below is now closed.

Hi everyone!

I’ve just received some very exciting news from Jenny at TreeHouse!

Looks like they’re giving talk about autism members the chance to win tickets to their annual lecture, with Brian Lamb. I know this will be of interest to many of you! Please read her email below, and then let me know if you have any questions about the information you need to provide.  

Also – let’s all discuss possible questions if you want to enter but can’t think of one (<-- this will make more sense after you read the info below).

I have also just found out that I will be there too, so I’ll look forward to hopefully meeting some of you in person!

Here’s the email from Jenny:

Dear talk about autism Members

As you may have heard recently, talk about autism just turned 6 months old. It seems to have really taken off now, and we’re so delighted to have been able to set up a space where people can network with each other and find support. Hopefully you’re finding the help you need, and meeting lots of nice people along the way!

We really do thank you all for joining our community, and for helping to make it a welcoming and friendly place.  

I'd like to invite all members of talk about autism to enter a ballot for five pairs of tickets for the second TreeHouse Annual Lecture 2009:  The Lamb Inquiry: improving outcomes for children with autism

The lecture will take place in the Council Chamber, Westminster Council House, 97-113 Marylebone Rd, London, NW1 5PT on Monday 23 November from 6.30 – 8.30pm. A drinks reception will follow. Below my email, there is more information about the lecture.

If you would like to attend please contact me (Jenny Phillips) by email jphillips@treehouse.org.uk or by phone 0208 815 5148 by Thursday, 5 November 2009 to enter the ballot.

[EDIT: This contest is now closed]

Please include this required information:  
1.    your member name at talk about autism
2.    your name, address, email and telephone number;
3.    the name and address of your guest;
4.    your question for one of the speakers

All entries will be entered into a ballot, and the draw will take place on Friday 6 November. Winners will be notified by email or phone on the same day.

Please note:
1.    You must have been a member of talk about autism prior to today (23 October)
2.    Incomplete information provided may mean that your entry is not considered

We wish that we could extend this invitation to many more of you, but there are only a few tickets available… Please get your information to me soon, and I’ll be looking forward to announcing the winner in a few weeks!

Jenny

Further information:

TreeHouse is the national charity for autism education.  Our vision is to transform the lives of young people with autism, and the lives of their families, through education.  We aim to realise this ambition through our exemplar school for children with autism, through our research, through the development of related, national support services and by influencing policy.  

TreeHouse is delighted to welcome Brian Lamb OBE as the keynote speaker at this year's Annual Lecture.  

Brian is Chair of the Lamb Inquiry and of the Special Educational Consortium (SEC). He will present the findings of the Inquiry (to be published in October 2009) to an audience of 150 guests and invite responses for discussion.  

The Lamb Inquiry was established by the Government in response to the House of Commons Education and Skills Committee Report ‘Special Educational Needs: Assessment and Funding’.  It is investigating a range of ways in which parental confidence in the Special Educational Needs assessment process might be improved. It is a landmark inquiry for parents of children with special educational needs as it provides an opportunity to look in-depth at the specific issues parents of children with disabilities face in the education system, and what changes at a national level may be needed to address these issues. For more information please see: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/lambinquiry/

The lecture will be chaired by Lord Tim Clement Jones CBE, Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Autism and former Chair of Trustees at TreeHouse.

Sarah Spiller will be responding to the keynote speech. Sarah's experience of the special needs system, as a mother, whose son has autism, and as a seasoned investigative journalist, has led her to expose – both in the national press and TV news - grave shortcomings in special needs provision.  In a 20 year broadcasting career, Sarah has worked as a reporter on BBC Panorama, Channel Four Dispatches, and presented News, Current Affairs, and Consumer shows both on Channel Four and the BBC. As a result of her campaigning work on special needs she has been consulted by a number of charities and advocates working in the field.

The chair will then open the debate to the audience.  We will choose two members of the talk about autism community to begin the debate by asking their questions of the speakers.

We are grateful to the founders of PACE for their generous support for this event.  PACE was founded by parents of children with autism, and their pioneering work in promoting constructive campaigning for autism education formed the bedrock of the policy and campaigns team at TreeHouse, with whom PACE merged in 2005.  This year marks the 10 year anniversary of the parliamentary launch of PACE.

Jenny Phillips
Training and Events Coordinator
TreeHouse - the national charity for autism education
The Pears National Centre for Autism Education
Woodside Avenue
London
N10 3JA
DL: 020 8815 5148
www.treehouse.org.uk
www.talkaboutautism.org.uk
Registered Charity No: 1063184