For information
Paul

Paul Bywaters
Professor of Social Work,
Child and Family Research,
CTEHR, Richard Crossman Building,
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences,
Coventry University,
Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB
[log in to unmask]

To join the Child Welfare Inequalities Network go to www.jiscmail.ac.uk and search for ChildWelfareInequalities or email me directly.



________________________________________
From: Sean Cudmore <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: 30 March 2017 16:10
To: Paul Bywaters
Subject: Conference on children in care - standards, adoption and support for care leavers - with Ofsted and the Education Select Committee - Westminster Education Forum - Morning, Tuesday, 13th June 2017

Westminster Education Forum Keynote Seminar
Children in care - raising standards, improving support for care leavers and the future for adoption

with
Matthew Brazier HMI, National Lead for Looked After Children, Ofsted; Graham Ritchie, Principal Policy Advisor, Office of the Children’s Commissioner and Simon Armitage, Committee Assistant, Education Select Committee

and
Jasmine Ali, TACT and Alliance for Children in Care and Care Leavers; Naomi Angell, Osbornes Solicitors; Dr Felicity Dunworth, Kent and Medway Progression Federation and National Network for the Education of Care Leavers; Dr Carol Homden, Coram and National Adoption Recruitment Forum & Adoption Leadership Board; Cathy Jermey, Devon Integrated Children’s Services; Val Naylor, London Borough of Newham and Jonathan Stanley, Independent Children’s Homes Association

Chaired by:
Emma Lewell-Buck MP, Shadow Minister for Children and Families and
Earl of Listowel, Vice-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers

Follow us @WEdFEvents<http://twitter.com/WEdFEvents> | This event is CPD certified<http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/CPD.php>

Morning, Tuesday, 13th June 2017
Central London

Book Online<http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/book/children-in-care-17> | Live Agenda<http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/forums/agenda/children-in-care-2017-agenda.pdf> | Our Website<http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/forums/index.php?fid=westminster_education_forum> | Unsubscribe<http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/subscription.php>

Dear Professor ByWaters

I am writing to ensure you don’t miss the above seminar if you are able to attend. Please note there is a charge for most delegates, although concessionary and complimentary places are available (subject to terms and conditions - see below).

This seminar will consider the implementation and impact of government reforms to the care of looked after children.

It is timed to follow the expected completion of the Children and Social Work Bill<http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/2016-2017/0001/lbill_2016-20170001_en_1.htm>’s passage through Parliament, and will bring together policymakers and government agencies with key stakeholders from across the education, local government and health sectors.

Areas for discussion include:

•         Raising standards for children in care, including residential care;

•         Implementation of Ofsted’s social care common inspection framework from April 2017;

•         The future of adoption and fostering in England, including the impact of changes to court considerations aimed at reversing declining numbers of adoptions; and

•         Improving support for care leavers and their transitions to adulthood.

Further areas for discussion include:

•         Improving the mental health and wellbeing of looked after children;

•         Next steps for closing the educational attainment gap between looked-after and non-looked-after children;

•         Implementing the regionalisation of England’s adoption system, outlined in Adoption: a vision for change<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adoption-a-vision-for-change>, and lessons from the five pilot areas commissioned by government; and

•         The likely effect of measures included in the Children and Social Work Bill to improve the provision of support for care leavers, including a requirement for local authorities to publish a ‘local offer’ for care leavers and provide a personal adviser for care leavers until the age of 25.

The conference takes place in the context of:

  *   Pilots to assess the mental health of children entering care, beginning in spring 2017;
  *   The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Children’s report into children’s social care, which suggested that a lack of funding for early intervention has led to a rise in children being taken into care;
  *   The Education Select Committee’s inquiries into the mental health<http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education-committee/inquiries/parliament-2015/mental-health-children-15-16/> of looked after children and into the future of fostering<https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/education-committee/news-parliament-2015/fostering-launch-16-17/>;
  *   The government response<https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-residential-care-in-england> to Sir Martin Narey’s Review of Children’s Residential Care, which included a commitment to establishing a Residential Care Leadership Board and a specific funding scheme to support innovation in children’s residential care;
  *   Government’s announcement<https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2016-07-04/HCWS57/> of a pilot ‘Staying Close’ scheme for children leaving residential care; and
  *   Figures<https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2015-to-2016> showing a fourfold rise in the number of adoption placement orders rejected by courts over the past four years.

The draft agenda is copied below my signature, and a regularly updated version is available to download here<http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/forums/agenda/children-in-care-2017-agenda.pdf>. The seminar is organised on the basis of strict impartiality by the Westminster Education Forum. Follow us @WEdFEvents<http://twitter.com/WEdFEvents> for live updates.

Speakers

We are delighted to be able to include in this seminar keynote addresses from: Matthew Brazier HMI, National Lead for Looked After Children, Ofsted; Graham Ritchie, Principal Policy Advisor, Office of the Children’s Commissioner and Simon Armitage, Committee Assistant, Education Select Committee.

Further speakers include: Jasmine Ali, Senior Policy and Research Advisor, TACT and Co-Chair, Alliance for Children in Care and Care Leavers; Naomi Angell, Consultant, Osbornes Solicitors; Dr Felicity Dunworth, Director, Kent and Medway Progression Federation and Regional Representative, South East, National Network for the Education of Care Leavers; Dr Carol Homden, Chief Executive, Coram and Member, National Adoption Recruitment Forum & Adoption Leadership Board; Cathy Jermey, Lead Nurse for Children in Care and Care Leavers, Devon Integrated Children’s Services; Val Naylor, Executive Headteacher, Newham Virtual School for Looked After Children, London Borough of Newham and Jonathan Stanley, Chief Executive Officer, Independent Children’s Homes Association.

Emma Lewell-Buck MP, Shadow Minister for Children and Families and Earl of Listowel, Vice-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers have kindly agreed to chair this seminar.

Additional senior participants are being approached.

Networking

This seminar will present an opportunity to engage with key policymakers and other interested parties, and is CPD certified (more details<http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/CPD.php>). Places have been reserved by officials from the Department for Education; Department of Health; Cafcass; Government Legal Department; MoJ and NAO. Also due to attend are representatives from 18 Plus Specialist Children Services; Barnardo’s; Brent CAMHS; Catch22; Cheshire West and Chester Council; CNWL NHS Foundation Trust; Devon County Council; Family Action; Hartlepool Borough Council; Huddersfield University; Imperial College London; Isle of Wight NHS Trust; Kent County Council; Kingston University; London Borough of Barking & Dagenham; Nene and Corby Clinical Commissioning Groups; Northamptonshire County Council; Oxfordshire Virtual School; Partnerships in Children's Services; Portsmouth City Council; Prospects Services; Rees -The Care Leavers Foundation; Revolution Consulting; Shaw Trust; Sheffield City Council; Southampton City Council; Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust; University of Liverpool; University of Nottingham; University of Reading; Virtual School; Worcestershire County Council and Youthscape.

Output and About Us

A key output of the seminar will be a transcript of the proceedings, sent out around 10 working days after the event to all attendees and a wider group of Ministers and officials at DfE and other government departments; officials at Ofsted and other agencies affected by the issues; and Parliamentarians with a special interest in these areas. It will also be made available more widely. This document will include transcripts of all speeches and questions and answers sessions from the day, along with access to PowerPoint presentations, speakers’ biographies, an attendee list, an agenda, sponsor information, as well as any subsequent press coverage of the day and any articles or comment pieces submitted by delegates. It is made available subject to strict restrictions on public use, similar to those for Select Committee Uncorrected Evidence, and is intended to provide timely information for interested parties who are unable to attend on the day.

All delegates will receive complimentary PDF copies and are invited to contribute to the content.

The Westminster Education Forum is strictly impartial and cross-party, and draws on the considerable support it receives from within Parliament and Government, and amongst the wider stakeholder community. The Forum has no policy agenda of its own. Forum events are frequently the platform for major policy statements from senior Ministers, regulators and other officials, opposition speakers and senior opinion-formers in industry and interest groups. Events regularly receive prominent coverage in the national and trade press.

Booking arrangements

To book places, please use our online booking form<http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/book/children-in-care-17>.

Once submitted, this will be taken as a confirmed booking and will be subject to our terms and conditions below.

Please pay in advance by credit card on 01344 864796. If advance credit card payment is not possible, please let me know and we may be able to make other arrangements.

Options and charges are as follows:

  *   Places at Children in care - raising standards, improving support for care leavers and the future for adoption (including refreshments and PDF copy of the transcripts) are £210 plus VAT;
  *   Concessionary rate places for small charities, unfunded individuals and those in similar circumstances are £80 plus VAT. Please be sure to apply for this at the time of booking.

For those who cannot attend:

  *   Copies of the briefing document<http://www.westminsterforumprojects.co.uk/order/children-in-care-17>, including full transcripts of all speeches and the questions and comments sessions and further articles from interested parties, will be available approximately 10 days after the event for £95 plus VAT;
  *   Concessionary rate: £50 plus VAT.

If you find the charge for places a barrier to attending, please let me know as concessionary and complimentary places are made available in certain circumstances (but do be advised that this typically applies to individual service users or carers or the like who are not supported by or part of an organisation, full-time students, people between jobs or who are fully retired with no paid work, and representatives of small charities - not businesses, individuals funded by an organisation, or larger charities/not-for-profit companies). Please note terms and conditions below (including cancellation charges).

I do hope that you will be able to join us for what promises to be a most useful morning, and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Sean

Sean Cudmore
Deputy Editor, Westminster Education Forum

T: 01344 864796
F: 01344 420121

Follow us on Twitter @WEdFEvents<http://twitter.com/WEdFEvents>

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The parliamentary patrons of the Westminster Education Forum are Lord Aberdare, Sir David Amess MP, Caroline Ansell MP, Rt Hon the Lord Baker of Dorking, Gavin Barwell MP, Rt Rev the Lord Bishop of Bath and Wells, Baroness Benjamin, Lord Black of Brentwood, Bob Blackman MP, Rt Hon the Lord Blunkett, Rt Hon Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, Lord Boswell of Aynho, Baroness Brinton, Rt Hon Andy Burnham MP, Baroness Buscombe, Rt Hon the Baroness Butler-Sloss, Douglas Carswell MP, Jenny Chapman MP, Christopher Chope MP, Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke QC MP, Vernon Coaker MP, Ann Coffey MP, Lord Crathorne KCVO, Nadine Dorries MP, Julie Elliott MP, Rt Hon David Evennett MP, Tim Farron MP, Suella Fernandes MP, Paul Flynn MP, Rt Hon the Baroness Garden of Frognal, Pat Glass MP, Lord Glentoran, James Gray MP, Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP, Professor the Baroness Greenfield, Lord Griffiths of Burry Port, Rt Hon John Hayes MP, James Heappey MP,  Gordon Henderson MP, Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Sharon Hodgson MP, Kelvin Hopkins MP, Baroness Howe of Idlicote, Rt Hon the Baroness Hughes of Stretford, Diana Johnson MP, Helen Jones MP, Danny Kinahan MP, Rt Hon the Lord Knight of Weymouth, Rt Hon the Lord Laming, Rt Hon David Lammy MP, Rt Hon Andrea Leadsom MP, The Earl of Listowel, Tim Loughton MP, Ian Lucas MP, Baroness Maddock, Gordon Marsden MP, Baroness Massey of Darwen, Greg Mulholland MP, Lord Northbourne, Kate Osamor MP, Baroness Perry of Southwark, Baroness Prosser, Lord Puttnam CBE, Rt Hon the Baroness Quin, Baroness Seccombe DBE, Andrew Selous MP, Baroness Sharp of Guildford, Angela Smith MP, Lord Storey, Rt Hon the Lord Sutherland of Houndwood, Andrew Turner MP, Lord Tyler, Baroness Tyler of Enfield, Baroness Walmsley, Baroness Warnock, Lord Watson of Invergowrie, Dr Alan Whitehead MP, Craig Whittaker MP, Mark Williams MP, Rob Wilson MP and Viscount Younger of Leckie. Note: parliamentary patrons take no financial interest in the Forum.

Westminster Education Forum is a division of Westminster Forum Projects Limited. Registered in England & Wales No. 3856121.

This email and any attached files are intended solely for the use of the entity or individual to whom they are addressed. Opinions or views are those of the individual sender and, unless specifically stated, do not necessarily represent those of the Westminster Education Forum. If you have received this email in error please notify [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>.

FINANCIAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The delegate fee includes copies of the presentations via PDF and refreshments. Cancellation policy is as follows: (1) cancellations 14 or more days before the event: £70+VAT cancellation fee per delegate; (2) cancellations less than 14 days before the event: no refunds. Cancellations must be notified in writing to the Westminster Education Forum. No charge will be made for replacement delegates. Transfer of any confirmed booking between events is not possible. The organisers reserve the right to alter the programme and change the speakers without prior notice. The Westminster Education Forum is unable to grant extended credit and therefore must request that full payment be made within 30 days from the date of invoice. Should payment not be received within 30 days from the date of invoice, the Westminster Education Forum will apply an administration charge of £40+VAT, likewise for payments made to our account in error.

Westminster Education Forum Keynote Seminar: Children in care - raising standards, improving support for care leavers and the future for adoption
Timing: Morning, Tuesday, 13th June 2017
Venue: Central London

Draft agenda subject to change

8.30 - 9.00

Registration and coffee





9.00 - 9.05

Chair’s opening remarks
Emma Lewell-Buck MP, Shadow Minister for Children and Families





9.05 - 9.50

Raising standards for children in care: improving mental health provision, educational attainment and children’s residential care
In light of evidence that children in care are four times more likely to experience mental health difficulties, what should be the next steps for improving mental health provision for looked after children? What will be the likely impact of the scheme being piloted to assess the mental health of children upon entering care? What more can be done to reduce the educational attainment gap between looked-after and non-looked after children? How effective will be the new requirement for schools to appoint a staff member as responsible for the attainment of children previously looked after; what training and support will be needed to maximise the impact of the role? Following the Narey review’s finding that places in children’s homes are often ‘bought’ rather than commissioned, how can commissioning practice in children’s residential care be improved; will the establishment of the Residential Care Leadership Board help? How can further innovation in children’s residential care be encouraged; will the Government’s announcement of a specific funding stream for innovative approaches to children’s residential care provide sufficient support, and what examples of best practice exist? How can children’s social care establishments prepare for Ofsted’s new social care common inspection framework, to be introduced in April 2017? In light of Government proposals to reduce oversight of children’s homes rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ from April 2017, what safeguards would be necessary to ensure that quality of care is not negatively affected?
Jonathan Stanley, Chief Executive Officer, Independent Children’s Homes Association
Val Naylor, Executive Headteacher, Newham Virtual School for Looked After Children, London Borough of Newham
Cathy Jermey, Lead Nurse for Children in Care and Care Leavers, Devon Integrated Children’s Services
Questions and comments from the floor





9.50 - 10.15

Implementing the Social Care Common Inspection Framework
Matthew Brazier HMI, National Lead for Looked After Children, Ofsted
Questions and comments from the floor





10.15 - 10.20

Chair’s closing remarks
Emma Lewell-Buck MP, Shadow Minister for Children and Families





10.20 - 10.45

Coffee





10.45 - 10.50

Chair’s opening remarks
Earl of Listowel, Vice-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers





10.50 - 11.00

Fostering in England inquiry: key findings
Simon Armitage, Committee Assistant, Education Select Committee





11.00 - 11.45

The future of adoption: regionalisation and improving the adoption process
What will be necessary for local authorities to achieve the Government’s target of all councils becoming part of a regional adoption agency (RAA) by 2020? What lessons can be learnt from the process of establishing RAAs in the five pilot areas commissioned by government? How would regionalisation impact the matching of children with adoptive parents, and how can it be ensured that RAAs cooperate across borders where it is in the best interests of the child? How far will changes to the considerations of courts - including giving prospective adopters the same status as biological parents - successfully reverse the trend of declining numbers of adoptions? What impact has the Adoption Support Fund had, and what further support is needed for families going through the adoption process?
Dr Carol Homden, Chief Executive, Coram and Member, National Adoption Recruitment Forum & Adoption Leadership Board
Naomi Angell, Consultant, Osbornes Solicitors
Senior representative, local authority
Questions and comments from the floor with Simon Armitage, Committee Assistant, Education Select Committee





11.45 - 12.35

Improving support for care leavers: the care leavers’ covenant and easing the transition to adulthood
To what extent will the requirement that local authorities publish a ‘local offer’ to care leavers and provide a personal adviser until the age of 25 improve care leavers’ transitions to adulthood, and how can it be made to work; what can be done to ensure that knowledge of services reaches as many care leavers as possible? What action would be required to enable care leavers to have access to CAMHS until the age of 25, as suggested by the Education Select Committee? What lessons can be learnt from the ‘Staying Put’ programme as the ‘Staying Close’ initiative is trialled to ease the transition to adulthood of children living in residential care, and what further support is needed for care leavers who choose other routes out of care? How can more care leavers be supported to apply to, and attend, universities; what should be the role of universities, and what examples of best practice exist? For care leavers who choose not to attend university, how can they be best helped with entering other forms of education, training or employment; in particular, what more can employers do?
Dr Felicity Dunworth, Director, Kent and Medway Progression Federation and Regional Representative, South East, National Network for the Education of Care Leavers
Jasmine Ali, Senior Policy and Research Advisor, TACT and Co-Chair, Alliance for Children in Care and Care Leavers
Senior representative, care leaver
Senior representative, local authority
Questions and comments from the floor





12.35 - 12.55

Priorities for children in care
Graham Ritchie, Principal Policy Advisor, Office of the Children’s Commissioner
Questions and comments from the floor





12.55 - 13.00

Chair’s and Westminster Education Forum closing remarks
Earl of Listowel, Vice-Chair, All-Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers
Sean Cudmore, Deputy Editor, Westminster Education Forum