Children Looked After 2024

  • Thursday, 23 May 2024
  • Pendulum Hotel & Manchester Conference Centre
  • 08:30 - 16:30
100+
Conference
Attendees
8
CPD
Credits
10+
Expert Speakers
15+
Sponsors & Supporters
  • Overview

Open Forum Events is a major producer of national conferences focusing on improving the lives of children and young people. We are pleased to announce the 6th Children Looked After 2024 conference which aims to address the needs and challenges faced by children in care.

This highly regarded conference provides a platform for professionals, policymakers, and stakeholders to come together and discuss strategies for improving the lives of looked after children and care leavers. With a focus on promoting positive outcomes and ensuring well-being, this event has an important role in shaping policies and upholding child welfare.

Compared to their counterparts, children in care face a plethora of added issues. This vulnerable group are more likely to suffer abuse, become homeless, be teenage parents, not go on to access further and higher education, be a young person not in employment or training, have mental health issues and be victims of exploitation. The challenge, regardless of the added risks and possible problems, is that these children and young people are offered the same opportunities to succeed in life as their peers.

This meeting will serve as a forum for sharing knowledge and expertise, enabling participants to gain valuable insights into the issues faced by children in care. By bringing together both professional and personal experience, the conference content encourages collaboration and the exchange of best practices to create a more positive approach towards supporting looked after children and enabling improved outcomes.

If you have a role in advocating for the rights and well-being of children in care and care leavers book your place today at the Children Looked After 2024 conference as numbers are limited.

This conference is designed to induce change with knowledge, innovation, and inspiration.
Any transformation of a process or service requires the input of products and services devised to make improvements such as digital technologies; training provision; workforce planning; outsourced services; data and analytics etc.
If your organisation supports change through your products and services, our delegates and conference participants will be ready to engage with you.

  • Confirmed Speakers

Event Supporters

  • Event Programme

08:30

Registration and Coffee in the Networking Area

09:25

Chair's Opening Address

09:30

Olivia Wilson, Care Experienced Speaker (confirmed)

"Beyond Labels: Insights from Foster Care"

From tackling mental health issues to forging paths towards
independence, we explore the resilience and strength cultivated
in the face of adversity. Practical insights and strategies for
professionals and caregivers are shared, emphasising the
importance of support networks in shaping positive outcomes

09:50

Dr Lucy Peake, Chief Executive at Kinship (invited)

"Kinship Care-The Case for Change"

Independent Review of Children’s Social Care‘s report ‘The case for change’ is a step forward in kinship carers getting the recognition they deserve and shows a clear commitment to improving support.

10:10
"Supporting the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Care Leavers"

How youth information, advice and counselling services (YIACS) work to support the mental health and wellbeing of care leavers.

10:30

Headline Sponsor

10:50

Question & Answer Session

Allocated planned time for speakers to receive questions from the audience and induce further discussion.

11:00

Coffee in the Networking Area

11:45

Case Study

12:05
  • Nicola Robbins, Specialist Nurse for Children in Care, Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (confirmed)
" How My Childhood Informs my Professional Practice"
12:25
  • Josie Allan, Head of Policy & Partnerships, Missing People (confirmed)
"Children Missing From Care"

Care experienced children are disproportionately likely to be reported missing and can face a range of serious harms while they are away. This session will be centred around the voice of the child, looking at why children go missing from care, what good practice looks like in reporting, and how professionals can best provide support to children upon their return.

12:45

Case Study

13:05

Question and Answer Session

13:15

Lunch in the Networking Area

A hot, two-course lunch consisting of multiple options will be provided for delegates. We cater for all dietary requirements, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten/dairy-free; just notify us ahead of time should you have any allergens or requirements.

14:15

Chairs Afternoon Address

14:20

Case Study

14:40
"Supported Lodgings Model"

During her presentation, Debbie will delve into the intricacies of the supported lodgings model. With her extensive support experience in working with vulnerable young people and her role as CEO of step by step, she will provide valuable insights and expertise on how this model can be transformative and an effective solution in addressing the needs of young individuals in challenging circumstances. Debbie’s talk promises to shed light on the benefits, the different types of Supported Lodgings models, the challenges, and the potential for positive impact that the supported lodgings model can have on the lives of those it serves.

 

15:00
  • Denise Rawls, Director, National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL) (confirmed)
"Strategies for Ensuring the Best Further and Higher Educational Outcomes for Care Experienced Students"

In this session Denise will draw on the NNECL quality mark and share tested strategies for;
• Providing with access to specialist services and professional advice on education, training and employment
• Upskilling staff in local schools, colleges and universities to better support care experienced children during their education
• Supporting carers with skills and confidence to inspire and support the vocational aspirations of care experienced young people so they can transition successfully into further and higher education

15:20

Question and Answer Session

15:30

Afternoon Refreshment Break

15:40

Speaker TBC,  The Fostering Network (invited)

"Delivering Sustainable Foster Care"

Foster carers provide children and young people with stability, security, attachment and often their first positive experience of family life. However, the fostering system does not always support foster carers to deliver this stable environment. This can be due to poor matching, an ongoing need to recruit a larger and more diverse group of foster carers, the high turnover of social workers, unnecessary placement moves.

16:00

Closing Keynote Address

"Double Discrimination: Understanding the needs of Black care-experienced young people in the criminal justice system "

The presentation will bring together cutting edge findings about the important but under-researched topic of Black care-experienced young people in the criminal justice system. It will bring together insights from analyses of linked Ministry of Justice and Department for Education administrative data (ADR UK Fellowship project at Manchester Metropolitan University) and in-depth qualitative research on the lived-experience of justice system involvement (led by Barnardo’s). By bringing together quantitative (ADR UK Fellowship project) and qualitative (Barnardo’s Project) data, the audience will gain a more comprehensive understanding of the issues facing Black care-experienced young people in justice systems in general, and in the prison system in particular. The goal of this presentation is to raise awareness of disproportionalities, with a view to reducing over-representation and improving support for those already involved with justice systems.

 

16:20

Question and Answer Session

16:30

Chair's Closing Remarks and Event Close

  • Register for event

Having difficulty paying through Eventbrite? If you would like assistance registering your place please contact me on 0161 376 9007 and i'll be happy to assist. If you are awaiting funding you can request us to hold your place today to ensure you do not miss out.

Discounts for 3 or more delegates are available.

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Luke Boulter
! ***NHS CUSTOMERS*** Please note that we are finding the ticket information is not being displayed across some organisations. If this is the case please get in touch on 0161 376 9007 and we can provide you the details, alternatively if you are using internet explorer to access this information please try an alternative browser e.g. Google Chrome where you might have more success.
  • Accrue 8 CPD points
  • Hear an account from a young person with lived experience
  • Receive an update on the how ‘The Case for Change’ report helps kinship carers receive greater recognition
  • Learn more about the role of youth information, advice and counselling services (YIACS) work in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of care leavers 
  • Gain an insight into why children in care go missing at a much higher rate than that of the general population of children
  • Understand how supported lodgings provides safe and stable accommodation
  • Improve awareness of strategies to encourage young people to access further and higher education
  • Discover how sustainable foster care can be delivered
  • Engage in sharing best practice
  • Benefit from the opportunity to question, discuss and debate with speakers and fellow professionals
  • Take advantage of knowledge sharing and networking opportunities

 

  • Contact Details
  • News
  • Supporters
  • Venue
  • Featured Events
  • Downloads
  • Who will attend

Contact Details

News

  • Ann Coffey's Speech on Risks of Exploitation facing Looked After Children

    • Posted on 20 December 2019
    • by Ann Coffey

Supporters

Venue

Pendulum Hotel & Manchester Conference Centre

Pendulum Hotel & Manchester Conference Centre

Pendulum Hotel & Manchester Conference Centre is the ideal solution when searching for conference venues in Manchester. Top-of-the-range conference suites, 3 star value hotel accommodation, delicious dining and friendly service are the ideal components for a successful conference or event in the heart of the city centre.

The 18 conference rooms are decked out with all the mod cons including state-of-the-art AV technology, projectors and screens, free Wi-Fi and flip charts. Our clients cover the whole spectrum and include government organisations, trade unions, large corporate companies, non-profit organisations, health and education sectors and small to medium-sized businesses.

From the get-go we strive for excellence in everything we do and our dedicated team of conference professionals go all out to make sure your conference, event or exhibition runs like clockwork.

Featured Events

  • Looked After Children 2022

    • 07 July 2022
    • 08:30 - 15:30
    • Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
  • Looked After Children: Improving Life Chances

    • 05 December 2018
    • 08:30 - 16:30
    • Pendulum Hotel & Manchester Conference Centre
  • Looked After Children-Promoting Equality of Opportunity

    • 08 December 2022
    • 08:30 - 16:30
    • Pendulum Hotel & Manchester Conference Centre
  • Looked After Children: Safeguarding Welfare-Fulfilling Aspirations

    • 03 December 2019
    • 08:30 - 16:30
    • The Studio, Manchester

Downloads & Resources

  • Open Forum Events Sponsorship Brochure
    Open Forum Events offer a number of partnership, sponsorship and exhibition opportunities that can meet your marketing and business development needs.

who will attend

  • 14-19 Partnership Teams
  • Academics and Researchers
  • Director/Heads Adoption and Fostering Agencies
  • Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinators
  • Asylum and Immigration Officers
  • CAFCASS
  • Care Leavers Champions
  • Central Government Departments and Agencies
  • Child and Adolescent Mental Health Practitioners
  • Child and Educational Psychologists
  • Child Protection and Safeguarding Teams
  • Child Protection Officers
  • Children’s Health Service Professionals
  • Children’s Services Officers
  • Heads of Children’s Trusts and Children’s Centres
  • Commissioning Managers
  • Community and Voluntary Organisations
  • Community Development Managers
  • Director/Heads Connexions and Jobcentre Plus
  • Director/Heads Corporate Parenting Boards
  • Designated Nurses and Health Advisors for Children in Care
  • Director/Heads Local Education Authorities
  • Director/Heads Local Safeguarding Children’s Boards
  • Director/Heads Local, Regional and National Health Services
  • Director/Heads Looked After/Children in Care Teams
  • Director/Heads NEET Strategy Teams
  • Director/Heads Permanency Teams
  • Director/Heads Regional Adoption Agencies
  • Director/Heads Welfare Rights Organisations
  • Directors/Heads of Children and Young People’s Services
  • Domestic Violence Co-ordinators
  • Director/Heads Drug and Alcohol Action Teams
  • Early Years and Childcare Practitioners
  • Education and Welfare Officers
  • Education Providers
  • Director/Heads Employment and Training Services
  • Families Services Officers
  • Family Intervention Project Workers
  • Family Pathfinder Workers
  • Family Placement Teams
  • Family Support and Outreach Team Leads
  • Heads of Children’s Strategy
  • Members of Health and Wellbeing Boards
  • Director/Heads Homelessness Teams
  • Director/Heads Housing Service Providers
  • Local Authority Officers and Councillors
  • Looked-After Children Team Managers
  • Members of Police and Fire Service
  • Mental Health Practitioners
  • Post Adoption Support Services Leads
  • Psychotherapists
  • Residential Children’s Home Managers
  • School Nurses and Health Visitors
  • Schools, Colleges and Further Education Providers
  • Social Workers and Social Services Officers
  • Director/Heads Supported Housing Teams
  • Teachers and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators
  • Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinators
  • Third Sector Representatives
  • Youth Inclusion Teams
  • Youth Workers and Youth Offending Teams