Programme

Please see below for the programme for Community Care Live 2024.

PLEASE NOTE ALL SESSIONS ARE IN PERSON, AT THE BUSINESS DESIGN CENTRE, LONDON.  THERE ARE NO ONLINE VIEWING OPTIONS AVAILABLE.

Learning sponsor
    
  

9:30 AM - 9:45 AM

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM

11:00 AM - 11:45 AM

11:00 AM - 11:20 AM

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

12:00 PM - 12:45 PM

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

Children
Relentlessly restorative relationships: how we are working together with children and families
Cafcass welcome you to a learning event on relationship-based practice, exploring how we are working with children and families to build relationships and work collaboratively to provide all children with an exceptional experience of their engagement with us.

The session will be facilitated by our principal social worker, Dawn Goodwin. Our keynote speaker, Mark Finnis, expert in restorative practice, will share why the building of relationships and working in a relentlessly restorative way is key in achieving the best outcomes for children.

You will hear directly from social workers about how they are using restorative, relationship and strengths-based practice to engage with children and their parents in both public and private law proceedings. They will share examples of how they have supported children during their proceedings which highlights the value and impact of this approach for children.

You will also hear from Barry Tilzey, assistant director for Cafcass’ National Improvement Service, about the difference our practice framework, Together with Children and Families, is making in the work we do, contributing to Cafcass’ ambition of giving every child an exceptional experience of Cafcass, everywhere, every time.

Objectives:
  • Consider how relationship and strengths-based practice can support engagement with children and young people.
  • Understand what it means to work restoratively with children and families, and to hear examples of what this looks like in practice.

Mark Finnis, director, L30 Relational Systems
Dawn Goodwin, assistant director - principal social worker, Cafcass
Barry Tilzey, assistant director for performance and quality assurance, Cafcass
Sharon Batchelor, family court advisor, Cafcass
John Traynor, family court advisor, Cafcass

1:30 PM - 2:15 PM

1:30 PM - 1:50 PM

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM

Children
The legacy and impact of life story from a parent’s perspective
In this thought-provoking session, we will talk about the importance of a parent’s journey whilst considering their own child’s life story. You will hear firsthand the experiences some parents have had and how we as practitioners can gain a better understanding of the impact positive life stories can have on both parents and children.

This session will focus on the key aspects of participation and relationship-based practice in family and children's services. Attendees will gain valuable insights from the experiences of social workers and parents to develop best practice in approaches and direct work with children and parents in relation to life story.
 
Through presentations and interactive discussions, participants will understand the importance of involving people with lived experience in life story work and the positive outcomes that can be achieved through seeing parents as the experts, along with relationship-based approaches to this area of practice.

Learning outcomes:
  • Recognise the transformative power of relationship-based intensive work
  • Gain insights into the challenges faced by parents in being proactive with their child’s life story and the role of a relationship-based approach in supporting them
  • Learn from those with lived experience of receiving support and the impact this has for life story work
  • Understand how we empower parents to participate and be actively involved in life story work
Ceri Evans, senior family keyworker, Wiltshire Council
Rachel Thomas, assistant team manager, Wiltshire Council
Julia Williams, PAUSE practitioner, Wiltshire Council

3:15 PM - 3:30 PM

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

9:45 AM - 10:45 AM

Children
Engaging children in decision-making: making young people’s voices the loudest ones we hear
Cafcass and the Family Justice Young People's Board (FJYPB) are excited to welcome you to explore some of the ways social workers at Cafcass strive for children and young people's voices to be the loudest of all voices heard in the family courts.

Danielle Roberts-Waering is a service manager and Cafcass' Together Champion in the Greater Manchester region and Steven Anderson is the assistant lead to Cafcass' Social Work Academy. Danielle and Steven have different styles, but both make sure that children's uniqueness and differences are embraced and reflected in their approaches.

Together, they will share with you their wealth of knowledge, skills and experience in finding ways to provide children and young people with the best chance of feeling able to develop trust, allowing them to express their truth, experiences, hopes, thoughts and wishes.

Young people from the FJYPB, along with Danielle and Steven, will be collaborating with you to focus on what you must do to create a relationship with children and young people that allows them to experience social work and social work process in a restorative way. Bring your best thinking and be prepared to take part! Steven and Danielle are big advocates for shared learning so bring your best ideas to share, as no social worker’s toolbox is ever too full!

Objectives:
  • Build knowledge around how best to engage children through trusting relationships. 
  • Highlight the importance of keeping children informed during decision making processes.
  • Hear directly from young people who have experienced court proceedings about why engagement matters.

Danielle Roberts-Wareing, service manager and Together Champion in the Greater Manchester region, Cafcass
Steven Anderson, assistant lead , Cafcass' Social Work Academy
Members of the Family Justice Young People's Board, Cafcass

11:00 AM - 11:20 AM

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Adults Children
What practitioners and leaders can learn from serious case reviews in children’s and adults services
Donna Ohdedar is an ex-local authority Head of Law, now an independent reviewer, consultant and specialist in safeguarding and domestic abuse cases. She is involved in three types of serious case review: Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews, Safeguarding Adults Reviews and Domestic Homicide Reviews. 

In this insightful session, aimed at both practitioners and leaders, Donna will share what she has learnt from many years of conducting independent reviews and working with practitioners and senior leaders in children’s and adults’ services.

For any safeguarding system to be able to learn about how well it’s doing, it needs good feedback about the processes and the outcomes of the services provided. However, reviews often adopt a deficit focus, and practitioners are often the focus for blame when a tragedy occurs. Where this leads to more compliance measures and defensiveness, we’re not creating the conditions for workers to do what they do best.

Donna will explore how this can be different and how the review process can adopt a strengths-focused analysis, geared around learning from what went well, encouraging openness and ownership rather than leading to more compliance measures and defensiveness.

The workshop will also touch on how to prepare to be involved in a review, and why it is crucial to have the buy in of practitioners, managers and leaders at every level of a service.
Donna Ohdedar, CEO, Review Consulting

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM

12:45 PM - 1:10 PM

12:45 PM - 2:00 PM

Workforce
Learning Landscapes with Community Care Inform
At Community Care Inform we have a robust research stream which continually analyses and describes the current learning landscape for those engaged in social work and wider social care. Join the Community Care Inform team at this exclusive, invitation only workshop to get early access to our latest research project. We have surveyed thousands of social work professionals over the summer to understand current attitudes to learning.

We’ll bring together our research lead and a panel of sector experts to consider our latest research into learning cultures to explore how it feels to learn in 2024. This insightful session will allow you to reflect on the role learning plays in your own organisation and reflect on the challenges and opportunities that exist for those who are responsible for learning programmes in local authorities, universities and other settings alongside an invited audience of your peers. 

An invited panel of local authority learning leaders will lead the conversation, commenting on our findings and will invite discussion and debate. We’ve designed the session with workforce leaders, PSWs, course leaders and those charged with learning improvement in mind.

Please note, this session is by invitation only.  If you’d like to attend, please email Rebekkah.tabern@markallengroup.com
CHAIR: Aisling Philip, client partner, Community Care Inform
Heather MacLeod, independent research consultant, Macleod Research
Sophie Gilbert, Head of learning academy, Birmingham Children's Trust
Gemma Durrant, head of learning & development, Children’s Services , Hampshire County Council
Kasey Senior, Principal Social Worker, Surrey County Council

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM

1:30 PM - 1:50 PM

2:15 PM - 3:15 PM

Adults
How to co-create inclusive environments in adult social care: an immersive workshop
Join us for a comprehensive and interactive workshop designed to empower professionals in adult social care with the skills and knowledge to create more inclusive and collaborative environments. Run by people with lived experience from Wiltshire CIL and Social Workers from Wiltshire Council; This workshop will provide participants with practical strategies and first-hand insights on how to enhance their practice and improve outcomes for service users.

By the end of this workshop, attendees will be equipped with practical strategies to promote inclusivity, collaborate effectively through co-production, and navigate the multifaceted landscape of adult social care. This workshop is ideal for professionals seeking to enhance their skills, promote positive change, and make a meaningful impact in their field. Participants will leave with a toolkit of resources and techniques to apply in their daily practice, ensuring they can provide high-quality, person-centered care.

By attending this workshop, you will:
  • Become equipped with strategies to create inclusive environments, ensuring that all voices are heard and valued in the context of adult social care
  • Gain insight into the principles and practices of co-production, exploring how collaboration between professionals, service users and communities enhances social care outcomes
  • Learn about the diverse facets of adult social care, including legal frameworks, service provision, and the role of social workers
Kaylie Chapman, principal social worker, adult social care, Wiltshire Council
Leila Dickson, Assistant Team Manager, Advice and Contact Team, Wiltshire Council
Daniel Wilkins, Head of Transformation and Quality Assurance , Wiltshire Council

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM