Event Summary

The number of police recorded child cruelty offences, including neglect, domestic abuse, child sexual exploitation, and child criminal exploitation is increasing.* It is essential that the right systems are in place to protect children and support families to thrive.

Join Westminster Insight’s timely Child Safeguarding Digital Conference as we examine the future of child safeguarding.

Chaired by Lynn Perry MBE, CEO of Barnardo’s, we will discuss the measures announced in the Government’s Stable Homes, Built on Love Strategy and Consultation. The strategy aims to address urgent issues in children’s social care and lay the groundwork for future reform.

You’ll hear from Josh MacAlister, Chair of the recent Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, and members of the National Implementation Board. Hear his recommendations to reform children’s social care and put your questions to our expert panel. What will be the impact of these reforms on child safeguarding?

We will bring together multi-agency safeguarding partners from across children’s social care, child protection, health, family hubs, police, family courts and schools. Explore the latest guidance to improve information sharing in child protection. We will explore how to collaborate within communities and enhance multi-agency responses to local risks.

We will explore how to build a joined-up approach to Family Help and discuss the importance of a strengths-based Family Safeguarding model – how can you build a multi-disciplinary workforce to support families and keep more families safely together? You will learn how to unlock the potential of family networks to reduce movement of children from home to home and improve transitional safeguarding outcomes

How can you signpost and improve support for mental health, poverty, and familial relationships? Understand how to build engagement and trust in services to boost early intervention. You will learn how to unlock the potential of family networks to reduce movement of children from home to home and improve transitional safeguarding outcomes.

Gain useful insights into child sexual and criminal exploitation and how to recognise and understand harms outside the home, including online.

We will spotlight safe recruitment practices and training options for your organisation, in light of recent reports of unsafe practices found within some children’s homes and out of school services.

Almost 1 in 5 social worker** posts across local children’s social services remain vacant, retention and recruitment challenges exist across all social services. We will look at innovative recruitment and retention methods across the sectors.

*NSPCC, December 2021

Key Points

  • Reviewing Government plans to reform children’s social care
  • Proposed changes to multi-agency working and information sharing to safeguard children
  • Unlocking the potential of family networks: Reducing movement from home to home
  • Learning from lived experience: enhancing child-centred practice and removing stigmas
  • Enhancing communication and collaboration across agencies and local services
  • Revolutionising family help to improve trust, engagement and early intervention
  • Tackling growing extra-familial harms such as child sexual and criminal exploitation
  • Improving the safety of recruitment and training practices across services
  • Innovative recruitment and retention solutions for social care.