Training & events programme

This course is an opportunity to explore the unique context of kinship care and assessment of prospective kinship carers. Participants will explore professional and personal values and gain knowledge of what constitutes a robust kinship assessment within the legal and regulatory framework. The course will consider different assessment tools that can be used in kinship assessment practice, triangulation of information and effective support planning.

This course will explore the support needs of special guardianship families, how to carry out assessment of support needs which are sensitive to the needs of kinship care families, and the how these needs may be most effectively met. This course will explore; best practice, regulation and practice guidance, assessments, eligibility criteria and access to therapeutic support services, the impact of early trauma, identity issues, and the benefits and challenges of contact.

This open course course will enable participants to increase their understanding of the role of permanence in children's lives. By reflecting on best practice, it will help those attending to form permanence plans that are geared to improving the outcomes for children and young people, including their emotional, cognitive and physical development.

This open course will offer a comprehensive approach to undertaking sibling assessments. It will explore who the key contributors to sibling assessments are and how assessors can plan assessments and engage these contributors in the process. Most importantly it will explore how to gain the views of the children, observe sibling interactions and draw conclusions on the quality of sibling relationships as well as focusing on the individual needs of each child and of the sibling group.

The safety of children in care is paramount. Therefore it is essential we investigate and respond to allegations, complaints and concerns about foster carers in a timely way and ensure children’s voices are heard and their needs met. This course will provide an opportunity to consider how we can manage allegations and concerns, with the rigour and challenge needed, whilst also considering the need for foster carers to receive sensitive support, that enables them to manage risks and keep everyone in the fostering household safe.

This open course aims to challenge your understanding of the meaning of diversity and intersectionality. This training will be a highly interactive exploration of equality, diversity and inclusion.

The Secure Base Model is a strengths-based framework for therapeutic caregiving informed by developments and research into attachment theory and child placement. It focuses on the interactions between a child and their caregiver that can support a child to experience greater security and build resilience.

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

Our social work practice must be guided by the values and principles of anti-racist practice and cultural humility. This means embedding them into all aspects of our work with families, bringing self-awareness of our own biases, assumptions and privileges, and centering families’ lived experience. 

This course is an opportunity to understand key concepts and consider why anti-racist practice and cultural humility matter. You will be supported to explore how you can build relationships with families that honour diverse perspectives and recognise unique needs, and explore tools to enable you to better understand the identities of children and their families. You will then consider how this understanding can be applied to your practice to develop culturally appropriate assessments and interventions that reflect the lived realities of children and families and take account of their intersecting identities.

SAVE THE DATE
The Kinship Care Conference is a key event in the calendar of social work practitioners working alongside kinship families. The day aims to create a supportive and collaborative learning experience to empower practitioners with up to date knowledge and current best practice. Register your interest to stay informed with the launch and early bird sale.