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This course is an opportunity to consider what we know about staying in touch from research, including what works well, the voices of those with lived experience, and aspects that may present challenges or need more support.

The good practice guide, Safeguarding children living with foster carers, Adopters and Special Guardians: Learning from case reviews 2007–2019, is based on a UK wide study of 52 case reviews concerning 98 children who had experienced serious harm while living with foster carers, adopters or special guardians. The study spans 12 years and is the first to focus exclusively on reviews of cases of children in alternative family care. It shines a spotlight on those issues particular to these children – selection and assessment of carers; support for children and carers; and the supervision and management of arrangements.

This half day course is aimed at professionals who work with children and families who may benefit from a therapeutic intervention and would like to increase their understanding of different therapeutic approaches. Foster carers, kinship carers and adoptive parents who are considering different options for therapeutic support may also benefit from this training.

Long-term foster care is rarely mentioned as a positive option; yet, for a significant group of vulnerable children, growing up in a long-term foster family is their best chance of a secure family life. This research study provides a fascinating insight into the experiences of 58 children, their foster carers, a sample of their birth parents and their social workers.

Cultural competence involves ensuring our attitudes, communication and behaviours recognise and respect cultural differences. As social workers, in whatever our role, it’s essential we are continually working towards cultural competence in our practice. In this open course, you will be supported to explore some of the key concepts within cultural competence and anti-oppressive practice, and then apply this learning to your practice. It will include exploration of how personal and professional identities can impact on the decisions we make in our professional roles.

All young people who are either care experienced or had social workers involved in their childhood, have the right to access the information that is written about them and saved on their files. In this open course, we examine these legal rights and the various legal frameworks that govern the processes around accessing care files. We consider best practice in supporting young people to access their care files, as well as consider the psychological and emotional benefits.

Essential reading for newly qualified social workers

FREE FOR MEMBERS
Join our Kinship Consultants Ann Horne and Clare Seth for a session exploring how kinship families can be supported to enable children to stay in touch with the important people in their lives. Using case studies from their own practice experience, Clare and Ann will reflect together on the uniqueness of each kinship family, what support was needed, and what worked.

FREE FOR MEMBERS
Virtual Schools have been a feature of the landscape in Scotland since 2019 and England since 2014 yet a series of recent publications have pointed towards a poor understanding of the valuable work they carry out. This session is an opportunity to hear from the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS) in Scotland and the National Association of Virtual School Heads (NAVSH) in England on how virtual schools support care experienced children and young people.