Open Forum Events invites you to join us at the Looked After Children 2022 conference, which will provide a review of the current situation children within the care system and care leavers experience. This conference will explore the issues impacting Looked After Children, such as, why they are more prone to suffer with addiction, be more likely to be involved in crime and more vulnerable of becoming homeless as a young adult. Open Forum Events offers delegates an insightful and informative conference experience, sharing perspectives from across the sector through plenary addresses, interactive sessions, and networking opportunities. The meeting aims to not only further educate, but to facilitate a discussion forum of opinion and experience, to help shape future support and seek out potential solutions.
Book you place today at the CPD accredited Looked After Children 2022 conference and be part of the conversation to improve the support needed by these children and young people to maximise their potential and promote life chances.
Special Offer
In partnership with Embrace Resilience we are offering all delegates a package of free e-learning courses worth £60 when you register for this event.
These courses are used widely across health, and care sectors. and meet CQC requirements for training and development. In addition to the courses, delegates will have free access to download a toolkit including planners and journals to help with their own personal resilience.
We will send a list of courses from which you can select your free 5 course package after you register.
The mental health and wellbeing of care leavers is an area that is often neglected when it comes to providing support to care leavers. David will provide a brief overview of some of the key issues and highlight some possible interventions that could make a difference to the lives of care leavers. This will include data from The CLA 2018 DoH funded research and their current program supporting care leavers in Greater Manchester.
Jim Goddard, Chair (Confirmed)
Steve McCabe MP, Chair of the AAPG for Looked After Children (Confirmed)
David Graham, National Director, Care Leavers' Association (Confirmed)
Regulatory irregularities within the adoption process were identified in Somerset in April 2021 leading to a year long High Court case and two judgements with far reaching national consequences for both Health commissioners and providers. This presentation looks at what went wrong in Somerset and how we have worked with commissioners, providers, the Local Authority and Regional Adoption Agency to address the issues and build a better service for our children as a result.
When we describe a problem with 'sufficiency', we are often saying that we 'can't find the right foster carer for a child, where they need them, when they need them'. Local authorities and fostering providers continue to try to address the problem, through carer recruitment (with greater or lesser success), commissioning and information systems. Is the aspiration of the 'most appropriate placement' for every child in care likely to ever be a reality in a wider environment of financial challenges, squeezed timescales, stretched services and increasing needs? What else can be done to improve sufficiency and at what level does this need to take place?
The presentation will look at why looked after children might game/gamble and the additional vulnerabilities they face. It will also highlight the correlation between gambling and other addictions that looked after children are more at risk to experiencing.
Why do so many care leavers end up homeless? Research suggests that 25% of people who become homeless were at some point in the care system. There is clearly a stark link between a young person being looked after in care and an increased chance of becoming homeless.
Debbie Moreton, CEO of young person’s charity Step by Step, looks at the factors that might explain this link; the reasons why care leavers are so highly represented in homelessness statistics. These factors include issues with accessing stable and affordable accommodation, mental wellbeing challenges, diminished prospects, and the stigma often attached to those once in the care system.
Debbie and her colleague Kelly Headen, Head of Supported lodgings Services at Step by Step draw upon recent research and current statistics, as well as the first-hand accounts of young people who have accessed Step by Step’s services. Alongside their own considerable expertise in this field, Debbie and Kelly share the experiences of Step by Step front-line staff who every day witness the upward struggle facing young people post care.
As well as a review of the current landscape, Debbie suggests a way forward, using as example the ground-breaking work Step by Step is doing to counter these issues and to reinstate care leavers’ life chances.
Research by Internet Matters and its partners has shown that children who are vulnerable offline (including children in care) are more vulnerable online too. In this presentation, Simone will set out what we know about the particular online risks faced by looked after children, and the resources available to frontline practitioners to support children in maximising the benefits of digital technology while managing the risks. She will also review what Internet Matters is doing to secure better protections for vulnerable children at a policy level, including through its work with DCMS and Ofcom.
Carey will be providing an overview of my role which is new to both East London’s Foundation Trust (ELFT) Looked After Children’s Team and London Borough of Newham’s Leavers from Care Team. The role that Carey does is an Emotional Health & Wellbeing Nurse who can support 17.5 – 25 year olds who are care leavers to Newham Children’s Services. Carey aims to work directly to provide short term 1:1 support to Care Leavers or professional consultation to professionals whom support the care leaver.
The Rees Foundation will be talking in more detail around the work they do supporting care experienced people of all ages across the country. The latest project for Rees has involved care records, and Sarah and Jackie will be talking about improving practice around this process.
Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce is the largest accredited Chamber of Commerce in the UK with approximately 4,500 members. Based in the heart of Manchester City Centre on Deansgate, the Chamber has a strong presence in Greater Manchester’s ten local authority areas. It is committed to providing businesses with a platform to connect with other businesses, communicate their message and create opportunities for a skilled workforce. With an ever growing network and a dedicated policy team, the Chamber is the recognised voice of business in Greater Manchester.
