Events Archive

Archive of past events are normally available here for one year.

24 June 2011

Conference Report - Care Proceedings-Understanding and Developing Practice-Birmingham

Skilfully chaired by Dr Jean Price, this conf was both thought provoking and engaging, attracting a large audience of practitioners, academic and policy makers. We were treated to a range of presentations that dovetailed neatly to provide a balanced and comprehensive picture of practice and innovation developments in care proceedings.

Professor Eileen Munro opened the day with a summary of her analysis of current child protection practice, skills and knowledge. As would be expected, this was followed by a lively questions session that was handled adeptly by Professor Munro. Munro spoke of her recommendation to shift the focus from an over-bureaucratic preoccupation with compliance towards an understanding of whether or not children are being protected. She warned against one size fits all approaches that provide judgement about skill in complying with processes rather than those that emphasise an understanding of practitioner's skill in engaging and working with a family, pointing out that  "there's something cosy about procedure driven compliance and something scary about professional judgment because it requires challenge and intervention." . Munro concluded by asserting that we need to get better at dealing with uncertainty and move away from a culture of compliance regulation to a culture that's about helping children. .

Professor Judith Masson took us through her work into the way decisions are made in care proceedings. Her research will inform the Family Justice review.  Professor Masson explored proceedings through the lens of parents' representation and her findings show that whilst in theory proceedings are controlled by the judge in practice, most issues are negotiated between the parties' lawyers. Much of the proceedings focus on reaching agreement, however, agreement requires concessions which sometimes overlook risk.

Professor Judith Harwin and Mary Ryan introduced findings from their evaluation of the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC) and the concept of problem solving courts. Based on an adaptation of an American model FDAC, the only court of its kind in the UK, aims to work proactively with parents to address their drug misuse. Early findings show that many of the mothers also experience high levels of domestic abuse; are polydrug users; with a pattern of children lost to the care system.  However parents whose circumstances were considered by FDAC were more likely to stop misusing by the final order and decision making for children was found to be quicker.

After a pleasant lunch with good opportunities for networking and chatter, Professor Harriet Ward provided an interesting overview to her study of decision making processes for infants who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm. She found that the time focus for very young children is ‘out of sync' with care proceedings and definitive decisions for children that result in a viable permanence plan were taking over twelve months.  Prof Ward's study shows that a focus on supporting birth parents and safeguarding the family rather than individual children contributed to delay. The outcome for children was poor, with over half displaying developmental problems or substantial behavioural difficulties by the age of three.

Finally we had a choice of workshops and a closing plenary. This topical and contemporary conference gave me food for thought and I have already been prompted to further reading. During the day I made new contacts, learnt new things and was gratified that some of my perceptions and understanding of issues were verified. Overall, a very successful BASPCAN event.

Diane Jerwood, NSPCC Service Development Manager Physical Abuse in High Risk Families

13 April 2011

Conference Report - Generating Practice Knowledge: Promoting relationship based work in child and family settings - Huddersfield

Following the untimely death of Tony Morrison in 2010, BASPCAN, NOTA and the University  of Huddersfield held a conference on 13th April 2011 to mark Tony's contribution to helping families, protecting children and supporting staff. The conference was held at the University of Huddersfield where Tony was an Honorary Visiting Research Fellow. The event was aimed specifically at front line practitioners, of whom 200 attended, hearing presentations and reflections from Margaret Adcock, Nigel Parton, Jan Horwath, Marcus Erooga, Simon Hackett, Helen Masson and David Howe. The conference addressed the key areas of Tony's practice, scholarship and training, including practice informed knowledge, the centrality of professional supervision, working with young people who display sexually harmful behaviour, support for front line staff, and the importance of emotional intelligence in working with others. Leaving the conference I was struck by the diversity of Tony's interests and expertise, and how much of his work will be carried forward in both practice and research. Whilst Tony is no longer with us, his ideals and ideas will continue to inform much of the good practice in work with children and families in the United Kingdom and beyond.

Dr John Devaney, Queens University Belfast

18 March 2011

Conference Report - Vulnerable Children - Recognition and Protection: safeguarding is everyone's responsibility - London

This was held at a purpose built suite in some old buildings being revitalised just behind St Mary's Hospital in Paddington where groundbreaking research took place in the 1920s - penicillin was discovered here. We were treated to a day of excellent speakers who backed up talks with their own groundbreaking research. This is refreshing in a topic that is notoriously difficult to measure.

In particular the morning was one of world class quality. Professor David Finkelhor from the University of New Hampshire (top right hand corner of the USA) gave two talks, the first presented facts and figures about internet abusers and the abused -they're not quite who we thought they were -together with a balanced view of the internet as a cause, or not, of abuse. His second lecture introduced me and I think some others in the audience to the concept of children as poly-victims, where the status of being a poly-victim is a condition, not an event. Everyone I chatted to commented on how fascinating this was.

 But as well as the information, we were in the presence of a brilliant orator. Professor Finkelhor was calm, clear and kept our attention without any obvious effort on his part. We were privileged to experience his years of expertise, and his skill at imparting his research findings to us. I liked it so much, I bought the book! (Finkelhor D, 2008  Childhood victimization: violence, crime and abuse in the lives of young people. OUP New York).

Professor Finkelhor was perfectly complemented by Jonathan Taylor, who's own research has developed the hypothesis of virtual offending and the triangle of offending. Jonathan was bounding with energy, clearly too young to be a retired policeman, and like David was adept at delivering new information that was comprehensible and stimulating.

In the afternoon Tink Palmer and later Jenny Pearce talked us through ways in which we should adjust our thinking to view matters from the point of view of the victims of internet abuse, and how we might involve them in planning change so that our interventions become more meaningful. Christine Beddoe and John Geden focussed on child trafficking. I don't come across this in my work that I am aware of. I found the presentations eye opening and somewhat scary with regards to what goes on abroad. Thank goodness we have an organisation such as ECPAT of which Christine is the director and what a shame that this work is left to a tiny number of individuals and organisations who are very low down indeed on government's radars for resources.

Overall the day was of interest and value to a degree which I had not anticipated and I came away energised and stimulated which doesn't happen often!

Dr Mike Farrall, Consultant Community Paediatrician. Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

 

6 December 2010 

Greater London Branch - evening seminar - Lessons from the NHS Safeguarding Improvement Team Peer Reviews

Guest Speaker: Alan Bedford - Safeguarding Improvement Director for NHS London

This was a very successful evening seminar. Please access the presentation by clicking here for Alan Bedford's presentation