Training & events programme

This course is an opportunity to explore the legal and practice framework of private fostering, including best practice in how to work with this often unseen group of children.

A positive sense of cultural identity is critical to wellbeing, yet children in out-of-home care often lose their cultural identities and connections. There is little evidence to guide out-of-home care agencies to support culturally meaningful foster care. In this session we will share key messages and highlight practice tips for practitioners, managers and organisational leaders. It will provide an overview of the SELF cultural framework. And it will provide an A-to-Z practice prompt to encourage practices that can be more intentional, more curious and more respectful.

Decision makers in fostering and adoption agencies have a vital but often under-explored role. Many decision makers describe finding themselves in the role with little or no preparation, and with few arenas locally to share dilemmas or discuss best practice. What is the best process for reaching a sound decision? How can you avoid it simply becoming a ‘rubber-stamping’ exercise? What is your role in relation to the quality assurance of the panel’s activities? How should a decision maker appraise a panel chair? What does a reasonable decision look like? How should it be conveyed?

OPEN TO ALL
This session is for health professionals, named and designated professionals for children in care, managers of services that provide health assessments, and children's social workers. It is an opportunity to put forward questions relating to the new suite of health forms. We advise attending these sessions after viewing the new forms and accompanying guidance.

This training will provide an overview of the available research and Outbound data for children being placed abroad. There will then be ample time to discuss issues regarding viability and support plans for overseas cases during case studies and group discussion.

OPEN TO ALL
In this free UK Trauma Council Insight Series in collaboration with CoramBAAF, experts will come together to answer the questions they are most frequently asked about supporting the mental health of children in care, drawing on research evidence, lived-experience, and frontline practice.

Child health assessments are a key component in permanence planning for looked after children. Medical Advisers need to be aware of the relevant legislation, statutory guidance and competencies framework. They are required to interpret information and present this in an informative and considered format for social care colleagues, panels and potential carers. This course will consider the Medical Adviser's role in adoption relating to children.

This open course will look at the relevant statutory frameworks and recent case law, the challenges of working with relinquished babies and their parents, some of the complexities of the background histories of relinquished babies, the importance of counselling for relinquishing parents, care planning and the support needs of relinquished children and their adopters.

Analysing adult health assessments is a key element of assessing adopters and foster carers. This includes providing reports and evidence-based comments so that panels can reach appropriate decisions. This course is designed to support medical advisers in their role. It is particularly suitable for new or inexperienced medical advisers.

FREE FOR MEMBERS
Overseas placements can feel like a step into the unknown. But exploring these placements can begin the journey toward a lasting, stable and loving home. It is vital that professionals build their confidence in international placement to maximise positive outcomes for the children they work with. In this session, we will be joined by Senior Solicitors, Catrin Hughes and Lauren Logan who will share their experience of attempting to place children in two different areas of Germany from Enfield Council on a Special Guardianship Order.