Child Social Care Workforce

Thursday 23rd September 2010, The Grange Holborn Hotel - London, 08:30 - 16:20

Creating a Childcare Workforce Fit for the 21st Century

BOOK NOW to attend this event, please note that there are a limited number of spaces available.

Overview

This forum follows on from the recent publications: ‘Building a Safe and Confident Future: Implementing the Recommendations of the Social Work Task Force’ and ‘ Working Together to Safeguard Children’, which provided updated guidance on how organisations and individuals should work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children and young people.

Since Lord Laming delivered his report into the protection of children and young people, the former government took forward a number of recommendations, including the creation of the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit. Led by Jacky Tiotto the cross-government unit aims to lead improvements in safeguarding through strong cross-government policy. The Social Work Reform Board met for the first time in 2010 tasked with the remit to provide policy advice on social work reform, the board will drive forward the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force.

In May 2010 the coalition government announced plans to reform funding of Sure Start centres in order to pay for 4,200 extra health visitors. Child social care, like many public services is under pressure to make financial savings, greater use of resources and effective working practices are essential if the sector is to continue delivering high quality care. Integrated working practices are vital tools in improving outcomes for children and young people.

This forum will offer delegates the opportunity to examine the latest legislation, policy initiatives and practice developments in child social care. Delegates will discuss the impact initiatives and will discuss what more can be done to improve standards across the workforce.

Agenda

08:30	Registration and Coffee
09:10	Chair’s Welcome Address Earl of Listowel, Treasurer, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children and Vice-Chair, Associate Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers (CONFIRMED)
09:20	Social Work Practice Pilots – Expansion Programme Improving the experiences and outcomes for the most vulnerable children and young people in care Empowering social workers to do their jobs effectively and to reduce bureaucracy Current Social Work Practice Pilots have seen the creation of independent, social worker-led organisations to deliver services for children and young people in care Children and young people at the heart of the service delivered and bringing decision making much closer to the children and young people Expansion of pilot programmes and call for expressions of interest from local authorities Supporting the Government’s wider agenda of building the ‘Big Society’ Andrew Laird and Amber Longstaff, Head of Social Work Practices, Joint Social Work Unit (CONFIRMED)
09:35	Questions and Answers Session
09:45	Meeting the Needs of Children and Young People Providing top class health services to children and young people Early and Continuing Professional Development - ensuring the on-going skills of the health and social care workforce Support and guidance to newly qualified social care workers Integrated working across multi-agency service providers Dr Alistair Thomson, Vice President, Education, Royal College for Paediatrics and Child Health (CONFIRMED)
10:05	Developing Early Years Services Securing better outcomes for children through a skilled workforce Developing new approaches to the improvement of frontline services Developing an Early Years Professional Status qualification The Every Child Matters Programme - the impact of Sure Start Centre's Embedding local partnerships Developing a workforce in the face of recession Creating a graduate led profession The practical challenges faced by the early years workforce Sharing information across the workforce Naomi Eisenstadt, Senior Research Fellow, University of Oxford (CONFIRMED)
10:25	Inspirational Leadership in the Workforce Developing a leadership framework for Directors of Children’s Services Effective leadership at the local level Addressing gender inequalities in the workforce Ensuring appropriate leadership, management and supervision Developing skills through coherent careers pathways Creating a culture of multi-agency working Supporting newly qualified staff - motivating high performance Promoting the continuing development of the workforce Catherine Fitt, Strategic Director - Children’s Services, National College for Leadership of Schools and Children’s Services (CONFIRMED)
10:45	Questions and Answers Session
11:00	Coffee Break and Networking
11:30	Integrated Services - the Health Visiting Workforce Strategies for increasing the size of the workforce Simplifying career pathways Reducing barriers to training Providing additional support to health visitors working with vulnerable Taking forward the Action on Health Visiting Programme Enabling effective joint working Supporting individuals to return to practice Maggie Ioannou, Director of Nursing, Quality and Safety, NHS Surrey (CONFIRMED)
11:50	Raising Awareness - A Children’s Workforce Putting children at the centre of services Raising awareness of service needs on behalf of children Developing a world class, integrated children’s workforce Involving children and young people in the design of services Young people’s role in the delivery of services Sue Berelowitz, Deputy Children’s Commissioner for England (CONFIRMED)
12:10	Key Issues for the Children’s Workforce Pay and conditions Commissioning and procurement Training and development Roles and responsibilities Supporting children with special needs including administration of medicines and medical support Ensuring the safety and wellbeing of staff Jon Richards, Senior National Officer, Education and Children's Services, Unison (CONFIRMED)
12:30	Questions and Answers Session
12:50	Lunch and Networking
13:50	Improving Outcomes - Children’s Services and Care Homes The role of regulation in promoting the well-being of children and young people The inspection framework in children’s homes Supporting foster families Safeguarding the most vulnerable users of care Meeting the needs of a diverse workforce Pressures on services - rising demand, public expectation and financial constraints Improving outcomes - looked-after young people Dr Jim Goddard, National Secretary, Care Leavers’ Association (CONFIRMED)
14:10	Home-based childcare - recognising diversity and professionalism Working with policy makers to promote the views of childminders Early intervention Ensuring effective information sharing between services What new skills do childminders and nannies require to provide inclusive care? Providing social care training as part of ongoing development Meeting the diverse needs of a disparate workforce Gary Thomas, Director, England South, National Childminding Association (CONFIRMED)
14:30	Transforming Children’s Social Care The effect of media reporting on recruitment and the morale of the workforce The impact of national recruitment campaign Management and leadership in social care Reducing vacancy levels - 12.5% Organisation development in social care teams Professionalising the social care workforce - the creation of a College of Social Work Encouraging work based training and development Professor Ray Jones, Professor of Social Work, Kingston University and St George’s, University of London (CONFIRMED)
14:50	Questions and Answers Session
15:05	Coffee Break and Networking
15:30	Professional Development for Effective Children’s Social Services – The Contribution from the College of Social Work A graduate led workforce (with a focus on raising standards) Early and Continuing Professional Development - ensuring the on-going skills of the workforce Expected outcomes from the creation of The College of Social Work Raising standards across all service providers Cutting bureaucracy in social care Corinne May-Chahal, Joint Chair, The College of Social Work (CONFIRMED)
15:50	Closing Keynote: The Future for Children's Social Care Delivering the Task Force recommendations Changing the way we regulate social workers – fitness to practise Strengthening social work education and training Helping employers to support social workers more effectively Owen Davies, Head of Policy and Research, General Social Care Council (CONFIRMED)
16:10	Questions and Answers
16:20	Chair's Summary and Close

* programme subject to change without notice

Exhibitor

Unison

Audience

Delegates attending this forum will be from the central and local government departments, councillors, senior officers, policy makers, NHS care and support providers and service managers with responsibility for the issues associated with child social care including: HR and personnel teams, service users and carers, disability groups and charities, recruitment and retention managers, social workers, private sector social care providers, residential care providers, trade union representatives, training organisations and consultants, local education authorities, social inclusion officers, teaching unions, and the third sector.