🎉 Celebrating 10 Years of Parents Advocacy and Rights!
- catriona
- Oct 20
- 3 min read
Join us for our 10th Anniversary Conference — Saturday 15 November 2025, 12–5 PM, at Broughton St Mary’s Church, Edinburgh
This year marks a huge milestone for Parents Advocacy and Rights (PAR) — we’re turning ten!
To celebrate, we’re bringing together parents, carers, social workers, and supporters from across Scotland for an afternoon of connection, reflection, and inspiration.
Our 10th Anniversary Conference isn’t just about looking back — it’s about looking forward. It’s a chance to celebrate what we’ve achieved together, share stories that matter, and imagine the future of parental advocacy in Scotland.
And yes — there’ll be afternoon tea at 2:45 PM (because every good conversation deserves a cuppa and some cake!).
☕ What’s Happening on the Day
You can expect a warm welcome and an afternoon full of thought-provoking discussion, shared experiences, and a few surprises along the way.
Here’s a taste of what’s planned:
✅ Inspiring Speakers: Hear directly from parents who’ve navigated the Scottish welfare system and found strength in community and advocacy.
✅ Stories and Reflections from PAR: Learn about our journey from a small group of mums, carers and social workers meeting in a café — to a national voice for parents’ rights.
✅ Networking and Conversations: Connect with people who care about the same things you do. Swap stories, ideas, and maybe even phone numbers over tea and cake.
✅ Afternoon Tea: A spread of cakes, sandwiches and scones — because celebrating ten years deserves something special!
🌱 How It All Began
PAR began life in June 2015 at Edinburgh’s Serenity Café, during a meeting hosted by the Scottish Association of Social Workers (SASW) featuring author and advocate David Tobis.
That conversation sparked a movement — parents and social workers coming together to say we can do better for families in Scotland.
Ten years later, that spark has grown into a network of members across the country. PAR has contributed to the Independent Care Review, the Children’s Hearings System Working Group, spoken at universities, and supported hundreds of families navigating complex systems.
💬 Why Your Voice Matters
This isn’t just a celebration — it’s a call to action.
As we reflect on a decade of progress, we’ll also ask some important questions:
Who’s funding advocacy in Scotland — and who’s being left out?
Why are parents with disabilities, parents in recovery, and mothers surviving domestic abuse still facing so many barriers?
How do we make sure their voices are not lost in systems that too often silence them?
We believe the answers come from you — the parents and allies with lived experience, courage and ideas for change.
🧡 Join Us!
Whether you’re a parent, carer, social worker, student, or someone who simply cares about justice and family rights — you’re warmly invited.
📅 Date: Saturday 15 November 2025🕛 Time: 12 PM – 5 PM📍 Venue: Broughton St Mary’s Church, Edinburgh☕ Afternoon Tea: 2:45 PM
To help us plan plenty of tea and cake, please book your place on Eventbrite — we’d love to see you there!
🌟 Looking Ahead
Ten years on, PAR is proud to stand as a strong, independent voice for parents. But our work is far from over.
This anniversary is both a celebration and a promise — to keep listening, keep challenging, and keep building a fairer system where every parent’s voice counts.
So come and join us. Bring your stories, your ideas, and your appetite — for both change and cake.
Let’s celebrate ten years of solidarity, advocacy and hope — and shape the next ten together.
This event is open to all parents, carers and supporters.
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