Events archive

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?

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.

FREE FOR MEMBERS
We know that young people with experience of local authority care have far greater rates of mental health difficulties than their non care-experienced peers. Yet, paradoxically, there is growing evidence that care-experienced young people are likely to find it more difficult to receive an accurate diagnosis and access to NICE-recommended best-evidenced mental health care. This talk will present findings from the ADaPT project – an active implementation study spanning 28 mental health teams across England. Our presenter is Dr. Rachel Hiller

Annual Reviews are an essential part of our statutory support and supervision of foster carers. In this open course, we explore how to complete an annual review well. We explore how to ensure the review meets the needs of the Fostering Service to be legally compliant, but also of carers to feel valued and supported, whilst keeping children at the centre of the process.  

Foster carers are susceptible to allegations and/or complaints which will impact on the whole fostering household and their future as care givers. How should we as a profession respond to these situations in a sensitive, timely manner, whilst giving due regard to the safeguarding of children as well as the needs of carers and their household? This open course will address the process for distinguishing standards of care concerns from allegations or complaints, with opportunities to share good practice in recruiting, reviewing and supporting foster carers.

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.

SOLD OUT
A key event for all health professionals working with adoption and fostering agencies. Further details about the day and full programme to follow. Book a place on our waiting list.

This two hour training will provide an overview of the legal and practice issues regarding special guardianship for children being placed abroad. There will then be ample time to discuss issues in overseas cases during the case study and group discussion.

The responsibilities of a Chair can be considerable. Whereas some duties may be clearly outlined in related practice guidance along with the qualities that ensure effective chairing, not all Chair responsibilities are so helpfully detailed or provided. This workshop will explore general planning for and facilitation of panels and complex meetings in the children’s sector. It will explore time management and group facilitation whilst holding the child at the centre of thinking, recommendations and decision making. It will enable Chairs of meetings to consider good practice and approaches to effectively managing the flow of information, summarising and the formation of key action plans.

The purpose of this open course is to give participants an opportunity to consider what good practice in assessing adult relationships is, exploring their own values and assumptions and to consider the importance of attachment styles; motivation; sex and sexuality; and loss and infertility.