The convening of a conference was an opportunity to develop regional knowledge and practice, share best and emerging research and practice ideas against the
backdrop of developing Ofsted requirements and increasing demands on Local Authority services to improve outcomes for care leavers.
A chance to share expertise insights and best practice
The Care Leavers Conference was requested by Local Authorities in the Southeast to share expertise, insights, and best practices with each other and professionals in the field. The event is supported through the Southeast Sector Led Improvement Programme (SESLIP).
Sharing research, practice innovations and emerging best practice from across Children’s Services, voluntary agencies and adults services the conference supported Local Authorities to work towards improved outcomes for Care Leavers and Care Experienced young people into adulthood. The event was attended by Service Managers, Team Managers, Practitioners, Principal Social Workers, researchers and other professionals alongside experts by experience and young people coming together for the first time in the Southeast focused on this crucial area.
The event was opened by Mark Riddell, Jenny Molloy and David Graham and after the day’s workshops we heard from Matthew Brazier, Ofsted Specialist Adviser (Children in Care).
Workshops
See below for a quick overview of the workshop topics or download a copy of the full workshop schedule here
- Southampton City Council Staying Close Project
- Breaking down barriers for care leavers in HMP Winchester **New Workshop Added**
- ‘What Helps, What Harms’ (Care Leavers Association)
- Wessex Dance Academy – How the arts, especially dance can impact the lives of our most vulnerable young people
- Achieving an Outstanding Care Leavers Service for Unaccompanied Asylum Young People (Kent Childrens Services)
- Collaborative Working: Reframing Narratives of Children’s Social Care (University of Kent, Wellcome and NCB)
- Meeting the needs of Black and global majority care experienced young people – Through an Anti-Racist lens.(Brighton & Hove City Council)
- Supporting Care Experienced young people through higher education (National Education of Care Leavers in Higher Education)
- Supporting care experienced young people in life beyond care (Community Care Inform)
- How Does Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services Make Sense of Young People’s Safe-guarding needs? (University of Cambridge)
- Stories and solutions: The over-representation of care-experienced people in the CJS with Bird Podcast
- Care leavers’ relationships with their personal advisors (University of Portsmouth)
- Health and Wellbeing Project for Care Experienced Young People: Using a Social Prescribing Approach (East Sussex)
- Biscoes Masterclass – a legal overview of the statute and case law relating to care leavers
- Transitional Safeguarding and why it matters for care-experienced young people (Research in Practice)
- TRACS – Empowerment, Connection, Oversight: Enabling a Brighter Future for Care Leavers (TRACS team)
For more information, please contact Dr Samantha Phippard (details below).