Exploring Expertise: Trauma-informed support for birth parents to end repeat removals

THEME

A large proportion of children entering care are from families who have previously had a child removed from their care: almost half (47%) of all newborns who are subject to care proceedings were born to mothers who had previously been subject to care proceedings regarding their older sibling.   

If we want to reduce the number of children in care, more needs to be done to ensure that no family experiences the trauma of the removal of a child more than once.   

Pause is a national charity working to improve the lives of women who have had - or are at risk of having - more than one child removed from their care, and the services and systems that affect them. We want to make sure that women who experience or are at risk of the removal of children into care are given the best possible support, so that it never happens more than once. 

At this participatory session, we will explore learnings from the past ten years of providing support to parents who have had children removed from their care and set out the case for support services for birth parents.   

You will learn more about what works in supporting these families, including Pause’s evidence-based practice model, which is centred around an intensive, supportive and trusting relationship between a woman and their Pause Practitioner, who work together to build strong foundations for the future. 

We will also explore the need for sustained change to support birth families, and what steps are needed to ensure no family experiences the removal of a child from their care more than once.   
 

PRESENTERS

Pause is a national charity dedicated to ending the cycle of repeated removals by supporting birth mothers.

Katherine Osthwaite, Impact and Influencing Lead, Pause

As Impact and Influencing Lead at Pause, Kat is responsible for evidencing and sharing the impact of Pause’s work, as well as influencing national policy and system change. She has over ten years’ experience of working in the third sector to influence policy change across children’s social care, criminal justice and disability. She is passionate about ensuring that the voices of beneficiaries are at the heart of influencing activity and that policy recommendations are evidence-based.

Anna Rickards, Nations Practice Lead, Pause

Anna joined Pause in 2015, as the first National Practice Lead. Over the last eight years, Anna has supported the development and implementation of a number of practices in England and for five years supported Pause’s development in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Anna is a qualified social worker with over 27 years of professional experience as a practitioner and senior manager in children’s services  and is passionate about evidence-informed trauma-aware practice, reflective models and using creative, therapeutic approaches.

Outside of work, Anna loves to travel and is the Safeguarding Trustee for Homestart Suffolk and an AMBIT trainer at Anna Freud.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This session is for anyone working within adoption, foster and kinship care. It will also be valuable to professionals with an interest in using trauma informed tools in practice. There will be interactive elements during the session to encourage peer learning. 

For social workers, reflection on this session may contribute to your continuing professional development (CPD).

Members can watch recordings of previous Exploring Expertise Webinars here

FEES

Members: FREE (don't forget to log in to your account to receive your discount)
Non-members: £20+VAT.

Places on this event are limited, so early booking is recommended.

CONTACT

Telephone 020 7520 7520/0310

Email events@corambaaf.org.uk

MEMBERS BOOK HERE