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Debate sessions will provide you with the opportunity to hear sector leaders discuss policy issues and highlight new developments. Be a part of the debate!

NEW! Use our Professional Interest Pathways symbols to choose the sessions more relevant to your profession:

Policy into practice	Commissioning
Efficiencies	Safeguarding
Driving change and improvement	Partnership and multi agency working

Programme content is under development and may change at short notice, subject to speaker availability. We recommend you check these pages regularly for updates.

Seating at sessions is available on a first come, first served basis. Conference programme may change at short notice, so please refer to the web site for the latest updates.

AUDITORIUM

10.15 – 11.30am                                                                                                                                                    

Early intervention in child protection     

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              This debate will contrast the approach of the Graham Allen review on early intervention with an alternative method. It will consider whether the Allen review goes far enough, whether 20 years of the vision to implement early intervention has made improvements and more importantly, if these can be sustained in the current financial climate. It will also explore a pilot authority approach to early intervention and consider what successful intervention looks like.

Confirmed speaker:

• James Blewett, Research Director, Making Research Count, Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King's College London PRESENTATION | EMAIL
• Libby Gunning, Early Intervention Senior Social Worker, Lambeth Multi-Agency Team PRESENTATION | EMAIL
• Sian Jones, Early Intervention Social Worker, (Early Years Specialist), Lambeth Council EMAIL
• Jan Leightley, Strategic Director of Children’s Services, Action for Children PRESENTATION | EMAIL

12 – 12.30pm            
Keynote Address

• Jeanette Pugh, Director of Safeguarding Group, Department for Education

1.30 – 3pm            
Raising the standards in child protection: Rhetoric into reality
July saw the governments’ response to the Munro Review on child protection. This debate will look at developments in making the vision of reforming child protection a reality and whether the governments’ response is fitting to the overall vision of the report? It will examine how local authorities are implementing recommendations of the Social Work Task Force and the Munro review relating to supervision and professional development.

   Confirmed speaker:

• Claire Barcham, Professional Practice Development Advisor, The College of Social Work PRESENTATION | EMAIL
• Dave Hill, Executive Director for Schools, Children and Families, Essex County Council PRESENTATION | EMAIL
• Professor Eileen Munro, Professor of Social Policy, Department of Social Policy, The London School of Economics and Political Science PRESENTATION

3.30 – 4.45pm             
RISK FACTOR – LIVE!
Detecting Common Triggers of Serious Occurrences
Engage in this interactive session that will consider the circumstances which might trigger serious occurrences and gauge the potential risks and impact to the child. As the real-life case study unfolds, reflect on how the findings of serious case reviews can link back to practices and methodologies.
Confirmed speaker:

• Perdeep Gill, Social Care Consultant , ADITI Consultancy and Training
• Dr Sheila Fish, Senior Research Analyst, Social Care Institute for Excellence PRESENTATION | EMAIL

ROOM 1

10.30 – 11.45am           
The August riots 2011: Cause and effect
Much has been said about the causes of the August riots.  This debate will look at the realities facing the nations’ young in 2011 and whether our young are being unfairly demonised. It will examine what went wrong, what needs to be done and what is the future of The Big Society without effective engagement of our young to lead it in the future?
Confirmed speaker:

• Professor John Pitts, Vauxhall Professor of Socio-legal Studies at the Institute for Applied Social Research, University of Bedfordshire
• Danny Bartlett, Founder, Hands Up Who's Bored PRESENTATION | EMAIL

12.45 – 2.15am          
Achieving lasting reform in adoption
Addressing the fall in adoption rates continues to be a priority for the government. This session will consider what needs to be done. It will provide a perspective on what it is like to be adopted, whether targets are the right approach and what the risks might be to limiting assessment times for friend and family carers?  It will also look at whether the focus on adoption is to the detriment of other permanency options.

Confirmed speaker:

• Anthony Douglas CBE, Chief Executive, Cafcass and Chair, BAAF EMAIL
• John Hemming, MP, Birmingham/ Yardley PRESENTATION | EMAIL

3.15 – 4.45pm       
Integrating youth justice policies into local authority services
The green paper on Criminal Justice – Breaking the Cycle - together with the Legal Aid and Sentencing Bill have huge implications for local authority services. This debate will explore the challenges faced in implementing these policies at local authority level and what more needs to be done. It will offer some practical guidance on how local authorities can adjust to tackle issues such as picking up the cost of remand, payment by results and implications for the structure of local authority services.
Confirmed speakers:

• Alex Chard, Director, YCTCS Ltd PRESENTATION | EMAIL
• Rod Morgan, Professor Emeritus, University of Bristol, and Visiting Professor, Universities Police Science Institute, University of Cardiff
• Andrew Webb, Corporate Director, Services to People, Stockport Council PRESENTATION | EMAIL

SPEAKERS BIOGRAPHIES
(alphabetical order)

CLAIRE BARCHAM is currently on secondment to The College of Social Work from the Camden and Islington MH Foundation Trust. As the College’s Professional Practice Development Advisor, Claire is building on her experience of developing and running a professional leadership group for Mental Health by working with colleagues to develop similar networks for Childrens and Adults services. She is leading The College’s work on the Professional Capabilities Framework and the development of Communities of Interest and faculties within The College. Claire is a registered Social Worker who continues to act as an AMHP on a regular basis, and remains passionate about the value of professional social work within contemporary society.

 DANNY BARTLETT is a 25 year old youth activist who is passionate about supporting young people to play a positive role in modern society. Danny has recently spoken at the Conservative Party Conference, launched a TV and cinema ad campaign and has been featured in The Metro and The Guardian; all to promote his campaign "Hands Up Who's Bored". Backed and funded by O2’s Think Big programme, Danny’s campaign is designed to take the yawn factor out of politics for young people and engage them in a way that is relevant to their lives.

JAMES BLEWET is a registered social worker who has had a wide range of roles in across children services and more recently in academic settings. James worked in early years, child care social work and child mental health before moving into training and workforce development. James is the national chair of Making Research Count, the University based research dissemination network and coordinates the project in London from Kings College. He has undertaken a variety published research projects recently completing with colleagues at King's a national study of children centres for Action for Children and is also part of the national evaluation of the Newly Qualified Social Work and Early Professional development programmes. James is the practice editor of the journal Evidence and Policy and currently teaches on a number of child care programmes. James has undertaken many training and consultancy projects across England and internationally has particularly close ties to Malta. James undertakes independent parenting assessments and is also an overview writer for serious case reviews.

ALEX CHARD is Director of YCTCS ltd. Alex has worked for the last 20 years providing organisational development services within children's services, youth justice and the voluntary sector. A particular area of interest is in partnership development working with YOT Boards, Children's Trusts and LSCB's. Alex is also a visiting lecturer and consultant to the Professional Doctorate in Systemic Practice at the University of Bedfordshire. He is a member of the Society of Authors and a wide range of his work has been published. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of Community Care Inform.

ANTHONY DOUGLAS CBE has been Chief Executive of Cafcass, the specialist national agency representing children and families in family courts throughout England, since 2004. Prior to this he managed most front-line operational public services at director level. He has written four books on social work policy and practice, is a Visiting Fellow of the University of East Anglia and Chair of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF).

SHEILA FISH is a research analyst at the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE). Her main focus has been on developing the systems approach for case reviews, including serious case reviews (SCRs), of multi-agency safeguarding and child protection work. This has involved theoretical as well as practical collaborative development work. More recently she has been developing, and providing, a training and accreditation programme in use of the Learning Together model. Her academic background is in social anthropology with a particular focus on children and childhood. She spent several years in Indonesia working in the field of child welfare as well as conducting ethnographic fieldwork. She retains a keen research interest in the use of ethnographic methods in the field of child welfare, particularly to explore interfaces between formal knowledge and professional practice.

PERDEEP GILL qualified as a social worker 20 years ago and is now an independent safeguarding advisor and consultant. She also provides specialist advice on safeguarding cases involving ethnic minorities and Local Safeguarding Children Board development. She is a child protection advisor to BME voluntary and faith groups as well as to the Metropolitan Police.

LIBBY GUNNING completed her Masters in Social Work at Trinity College in Dublin in 2005.  Libby is now an Early Intervention Senior Social Worker in the London Borough of Lambeth, but previously spent four years working in Statutory Social Work in the Lambeth Leaving Care Team, before joining their Multi-Agency Team in March 2010. During this time Libby took a six month sabbatical to volunteer in a child welfare programme in South America.

JOHN HEMMING MP has been an elected representative in Birmingham since 1990 having been elected to parliament in 2005.  He was Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council in 2004-5.  He has a degree in Physics specialising in Atomic, Nuclear and Theoretical Physics from Magdalen College, Oxford and founded his computer business in 1983 which he still chairs.  John has been involved in helping people through Family Court proceedings since 2006.

DAVE HILL joined Essex County Council on 1st November 2010 as Executive Director for Schools, Children and Families. This exciting challenge is Dave’s third role as Executive Director for children, having worked previously in Merton and Croydon. Dave has worked in local authorities since 1977, having originally trained as a social worker, later he undertook a Masters Degree in Public Service Management and trained to advanced level  as a consultant to individuals, organisations and institutions at the Tavistock Institute.

SIAN JONESqualified as a Social Worker in 2008 having completed a BA (Hons) degree from the Open University. From 2004 Sian worked as a Social Work Assistant within a Private Fostering Agency . During her training she also completed a 100 day placement within a Community Adult Mental Health team.  Upon qualifying Sian continued to work as a qualified Social Worker at the Fostering Agency, before moving to the London Borough of Lambeth in March 2010.

JAN LEIGHTLEY is currently Strategic Director of Children’s Services for Action for Children. In this role she has UK wide strategic responsibility for family support as well as operational responsibility for all Action for Children services in the Midlands and South West of England. Jan qualified as a social worker in 1976. Until she joined Action for Children in 2004 she had spent most of her career in local government, working for a number of local authorities in England and Wales.

ROD MORGAN is Professor Emeritus, University of Bristol and Visiting Professor at the Universities Police Science Institute, University of Cardiff. Rodwas the Ministery of Justice-appointed advisor to the four criminal justice chief inspectors and former Chairman of the Youth Justice Board (2004-7) and HM Chief Inspector of Perobation (2001-4). Rodco-edited The Oxford Handbook of Criminology (5th Edition, OUP, Spring 2012) and many other books and articles on criminal justice topics ranging from policing to prisoners' rights.

EILEEN MUNRO is Professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics. She was a social worker for many years before taking up an academic career. Her current research interests include the role of the wider organisational system in promoting or hindering good critical thinking. At the request of the Secretary of State for Education, she undertook a review of child protection in England and published the final report in April 2011.

JOHN PITTS is Vauxhall Professor of Socio-Legal Studies at the University of Bedfordshire. He has worked as a school teacher; a street and club-based youth worker; a group worker in a Young Offender Institution and as a consultant on youth crime and youth justice to the police and youth justice and legal professionals in the UK, mainland Europe, the Russian Federation and China. In the recent years he has acted as a consultant and researcher on violent youth gangs to local authorities, police forces and ‘think tanks’, and as an ‘expert witness’. In July 2011 he was awarded a Doctor of Letters (D.Litt) by the University of Bedfordshire 'for his contribution to youth justice at a national and internattional level'. In October 2011 he was a participant in the Prime Minister's ‘Gangs Summit' at Number 10 Downing Street .

JEANETTE PUGH has worked for the Department for Education and its predecessors since 1991, following an earlier career in academic research. Since June 2006, she has been Director of Safeguarding Group in the Children, Young People and Families Directorate, having previously been Director of the Children’s Workforce Unit.  Jeanette was awarded a CB in the 2008 New Year Honours list.

ANDREW WEBB is Corporate Director, Children & Young People at Stockport Council and an elected Director of the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS), for whom he is also policy lead on Youth Justice. He was co-chair of the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) Children and Families Policy Committee until the Association was dissolved.