Seminar Programme

Seminar Room 2

Social Workers play an integral role in disaster responses – their skills, knowledge and expertise are critically valuable in an emergency, as well as in post-disaster recovery stage.  Every Local Authority has a legal duty to have policies and procedures in place to respond to disasters including critical incidents, serious injuries, explosions, floods, poisonings, electrocutions, fires, release of radioactivity and chemical spills.  BASW England’s online training is designed to provide social workers/social work students with an overview of social work in disasters. In this session delegates will learn about the role of the social worker in disaster preparedness, response and recovery, alongside learning from lived experience perspectives and references to theory and models of practice, key legislation and policy.

Liz Howard, Professional Officer

Seminar Room 1

Consideration of issues relating to discrimination and oppression can give rise to considerable anxiety, confusion and concern, partly because of the complexities involved and partly because of the legacy of earlier oversimplified and aggressive approaches to the subject matter. This seminar seeks to dispel that legacy, establish clearly why tackling discrimination and oppression is not an optional extra and offer guidance on how to make constructive progress.

Dr Neil Thompson, Independent Writer, Educator and Adviser & Visiting Professor, The Open University

Seminar Room 5

Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out, this session will cover everything you need to know to shine in your next interview.

Learn practical tips for managing nerves and anxiety, effective responses to interview questions, and showcasing your unique personality. 

Discover how your social work skills are transferable to interview scenarios and gain confidence in your ability to communicate your qualifications. You'll leave feeling calm, confident and ready for your social work interview. 

Join Vicki for an engaging session focused on your social work interview.

Vicki Shevlin, Social Work Trainer

Seminar Room 4

Join this session to explore best practices in hair strand testing (HST) for the Family Court, specifically tailored for social workers.

Discover why traditional methods of instructing and reporting evidence from HST fail to meet High Court requirements and why isolated results can be more misleading than helpful. Participants will gain insights into the critical questions that should be asked to ensure that the interpretations and opinions in HST reports are both reliable and aligned with the Courts' standards.

The session will cover essential context, such as the impact of natural hair colour, dyed hair, and other factors on test results. Additionally, attendees will learn how employing best practices in HST can reduce costs and alleviate the burden on the public purse in child protection cases.

Speakers will also address the crucial issue of determining when it is appropriate to test children.

Damian World, Technical Support & Reporting Manager

Seminar Room 2

Social work plays a vital role in transforming the lives of people experiencing homelessness—moving beyond crisis response toward long-term empowerment and inclusion. Grounded in dignity and guided by compassion, social workers bridge the gap between individuals and systems, advocating for human rights and equitable support. At the heart of social justice, we amplify unheard voices, challenge stigma, and contribute to policy and practice that foster sustainable change. Through innovation, advocacy, and relational practice, social work helps reshape the narrative around homelessness—ensuring that no one is left behind.

Ellie Atkins, Safeguarding Lead & Manager, The Entrenched Rough Sleeper Social Work Team

Seminar Room 1

Description TBC

Seminar Room 5

Join Amanda and Jo for an inspiring seminar that showcases what real social work looks like not box-ticking, but meaningful, relationship-based practice that makes a lasting difference in children’s lives.

  This is about transformation: of practice, of outcomes, and of the system itself. We're focused on doing what works, rooted in community, driven by values, and proud of our place.

Whether you're an experienced professional or just starting out, discover how Stoke-on-Trent is putting people, not paperwork, at the heart of children’s services.

Amanda Horton, Advanced Practitioner; and Jo Brammer, Recruitment & Retention Lead

Seminar Room 2

The ‘Assessment Analysis Achievement’ risk assessment (or ‘AAA’ assessment for short) is used to assess parents/carers where findings have been made as to their responsibility for either causing physical injury to a child (or where their responsibility for causing the injury could not be excluded) or failing to protect the child and where such findings are denied by the parent/carer. 

This is a highly topical and relevant approach, particularly as it focuses on working with parents and denial. The workshop will be engaging and interactive, combining informative content with role play and a Q&A session. Join members of the Advanced SCS team and find out more.

Sandra Van Empel & Amanda Walsh, Independent Social Workers

Seminar Room 3

This seminar provides a reflective and informative space for practitioners to enhance their understanding of the Family Safeguarding model. Grounded in strengths-based and relational practice, the session emphasises working with families rather than doing to them—focusing on building trust, recognising strengths, and fostering collaborative relationships. Participants will gain insight into the structure and function of our multi-disciplinary teams, the application of motivational interviewing techniques, and the role of collaborative group supervision in supporting effective practice. Through real-world case studies, attendees will explore the tangible impact of the Family Safeguarding model on outcomes for children and families. The seminar also includes first-hand accounts from social workers, offering a unique perspective on the experience of working within a Family Safeguarding team.

Alison Hudson, Family Safeguarding Practice Lead

Seminar Room 6

In this impactful seminar, Kate Beesley, trauma and domestic abuse specialist, advocate, and trainer, unpacks the often-missed psychological patterns that underpin stalking, coercive control, and post-separation abuse.

Drawing on both professional expertise and lived experience, Kate explores the internal drivers behind perpetrator behaviour, the trauma-informed lens needed to truly understand risk, and the reasons why some of the most dangerous individuals are still being minimised or misunderstood in frontline practice.

You’ll gain practical insight into key risk indicators, behavioural clusters, and safeguarding blind spots, including how language, fear, and professional assumptions can either reduce or escalate harm.

Designed for professionals across adult and children’s services, this session will leave you better equipped to identify invisible risk and take informed, defensible safeguarding decisions in complex cases.

Kate Beesley, trauma and domestic abuse specialist

Seminar Room 1

Problem-Solving Courts and Intensive Supervision Courts, can offer a gender-responsive approach to support criminalised women. This presentation explores their development in Greater Manchester and Birmingham, with a focus on the central role that social workers could play. Social workers provide holistic assessments, case management, and access to trauma-informed support. They can also play a key role in advocating for women within judicial processes. Drawing on qualitative evaluation findings and the experiences of women, the presentation considers how social work practice and greater multi-agency involvement, could strengthen the future of meaningful gender-responsive justice.

Dr. Alexandria Bradley (FHEA), Senior Lecturer in Criminology, Leeds Beckett University

Seminar Room 5

Social workers face high-pressure environments, emotional challenges, and risk of burnout. By using coaching tools, they can reconnect with their authentic voice, build confidence, and develop a growth mindset. 

The approach shifts focus from just managing problems to unlocking strengths, possibilities, and personal growth for both families and professionals. It helps social workers maintain clarity, energy, and emotional balance while supporting families effectively. Ultimately, blending coaching with social work empowers professionals to lead with confidence, resilience, and authenticity, creating better outcomes for themselves, their colleagues, and the people they serve.

Nelly Kwasinwi, Founder

Seminar Room 2

Join Emma and Rachel for an engaging and practical seminar focused on empowering practitioners to deliver skilled, purposeful direct work with children. 

Learn how Rochdale’s direct work library and specialist 1:1 support offer provide practical resources and tailored guidance to strengthen relational practice and amplify children’s voices. 

Whether you're looking to build confidence or deepen your approach, this seminar offers insight, inspiration, and tools to help you make a meaningful impact.

Emma Thompson & Rachel Kenyon, Advanced Practitioners

Seminar Room 4

Many parents involved with social services have experienced trauma, whether in childhood or adulthood, which can affect how they think, learn, and respond to support. As a result, many traditional strategies for working with parents are ineffective and genuine long-term changes are not achieved.

There’s a common perception in social work that prioritising parents’ needs might compromise child protection. However, in reality, children thrive when their parents are supported to care for them safely. To make this possible, we need supportive tools and effective strategies that foster real change—not approaches rooted in blame or punishment.

Trauma-informed work isn't about directly addressing trauma. It's about recognising its impact on parents and children and supporting parents in caring for their children safely.

Join the ParentAssess seminar to explore key insights and practical strategies that help parents make meaningful, lasting changes—ensuring better outcomes for children.

Cathy Sharman and Jo James, Independent Trainers

Seminar Room 1

How do we strategise for constructive, dialogues which avoid pitfalls, are strengths-based, non-accusatory, and optimise engagement?

Everyone working with boys and young men has a role in supporting them in navigating socio-cultural influences, using critical thinking, empathy, resilience and self-reflection, towards safe, healthy futures in which they and those around them can thrive.

Join Michael Conroy, founder of innovative CIC Men at Work as he discusses the challenges for professionals engaging with boys and young men.

Michael Conroy, founder, Men At Work CIC

Seminar Room 3

Currently working with a research team at the University of York, Alison is looking at mental health emergencies from a rather different standpoint. 

The plan is to build a research proposal together with people who have direct experience of mental health emergencies. Earlier this year, the team put out a call through for people to come forward and share their personal experiences of good practice in a mental health emergency—unsurprisingly hearing that many people found it hard to identify good practice other than in its absence.

So often people are given anything but a ‘place of safety’ in a time of crisis, making a mockery of the wording in the Mental Health Act. But, through this consultation, the team heard how it can be possible to respond well to a mental health emergency.

Join Alison to find out more about the project, still in an embryonic stage, and help the team through sharing your own experiences of good practice in mental health emergencies.

Alison Faulkner, Survivor Researcher

Seminar room 6

Powys County Council has developed a new virtual reality training tool to support social workers alongside tech pioneers Goggleminds.

The training being developed includes four fully immersive modules which help professionals by breaking down their anxieties in scenarios developed uniquely for the challenges faced in Powys in a virtual environment. Social workers are supported and empowered through being allowed to retry scenarios, allowing them to make mistakes and discuss these in supervision, before repeating with an improved outcome.

Find out how the training is building confidence in the workforce and leading transformational change.

Melanie Brindle, Practice Development Manager and Azize Naji, CEO, Goggleminds

Seminar Room 4

Lauren provides expert court reports for parents with a learning disability or who are neuro divergent, assessing with insight from her lived experience, as Lauren is neurodivergent herself. 

Lauren will explore the emergence of neurodiversity over recent years and the key issues for both social workers who are neurodivergent, and the families that we support within social work. This workshop examines what neurodivergence is, the challenges, strengths and key issues within society that impact on ND communities, in particular, social care staff and families. Lauren provides a unique insight into neurodiversity as a social worker, the challenges and superpowers and how ND staff can be supported within their organisations. Lauren has worked intensively with ND families and Local Authorities will know that learning disabilities or neurodiversity is being raised more frequently within care proceedings. Lauren uses case studies, good practice guidance and the law to demonstrate how, with acceptance, understanding and thinking outside the box, parents can be supported to safely care for their children. 

Join this session to find out more about neurodiversity and how you can apply learning to your own practice. 

Lauren Crickmar, Independent Social Worker

Seminar Room 2

Language is never neutral. In social work, the words we choose can heal or harm, empower or diminish, include or exclude. Every conversation, assessment, and recording carries the weight of our professional voice — a voice that can shape how individuals see themselves, how systems respond, and how communities are understood. This talk explores the profound impact of language in social work practice, recognising that our words carry both power and responsibility. From everyday interactions with children and families to written reports and court statements, language reflects our values and influences outcomes. Drawing on real-life examples, theory, and reflective practice, we will consider how language can be used with greater care, empathy and precision. Together, we will ask: How can we become more aware of the stories our language tells? And how can we do better — for the people we support and the profession we represent?

Helen Lea, Principal Social Worker, Liverpool Children’s and Young People’s Services

Helen Lea, Principal Social Worker

Seminar room 1

Stress can prove hugely costly in both human and financial terms. Despite this, it has become ‘normalised’ in many organisations – that is, people have come to expect to have to face unreasonable levels of pressure. This webinar clears up some of the myths and misunderstandings around stress – including the fallacy that it is inevitable. It examines the harm it can do and explores ways of keeping pressures within manageable levels to prevent stress; responding appropriately when stress does arise; and supporting people through the aftermath of a stress episode.

Dr Neil Thompson has been writing, teaching and training about stress management for many years. He has had considerable success in helping individuals, teams and whole organisations to rise to the challenges presented by stress.

Dr Neil Thompson, Independent Writer, Educator and Adviser & Visiting Professor, The Open University

Seminar Room 3

Social media is part of everyday life – but how can you use it without putting your registration at risk?

This interactive session will help you navigate professional guidelines with confidence, showing you how to share online safely, responsibly and authentically. You’ll explore the opportunities social media offers for social workers, while learning practical strategies to avoid common pitfalls.

Join Vicki to discover how to protect yourself, your career and the people you work with, and to understand the growing role of social media in the future of social work.

Vicki Shevlin, Social Work Trainer

Seminar Room 6

Leadership in children’s social care is a complex, relational practice - not just a job title. It shows up in everyday actions: working with a family in crisis, finding the confidence to ask for help when it’s needed, or simplifying a bureaucratic process so practice can thrive.

In this session, Ellie and Maria will outline Frontline’s two latest leadership programmes: Progress (for team managers and aspiring managers) and Advance (for heads of service level) - covering who they’re for, what participants gain, the learning approach and typical time commitments.

Participants will hear examples from practice and how our evidence‑informed, practice‑rooted approach strengthens teams and decision‑making. You’ll leave with a grounded sense of how these programmes can support culture, supervision and outcomes in your service.

Seminar Room 5

The Mockingbird Family Model is all about bringing foster families together to support each other to create a community of families, with one family at the centre offering help and advice to others around them and extending people’s support networks.

The Mockingbird scheme offers special support to foster families, including trained carers, advice, and social activities. Everyone who is part of Mockingbird receives training, a dedicated social worker, and a phone line that works after regular hours, so they can get help anytime.

Find out how this is encouraging more families to remain as foster carers.

Mockingbird Family Model practitioners

Seminar Room 4

This presentation covers the hot topic of understanding Expert Witness Reports to provide further clarity on what the results actually are saying. Alongside looking at the future of Expert Witness Reports, participants will explore case-specific questions, and making the science inclusive to all who may be privy to the reports.

The seminar will also cover areas such as ‘environmental exposure to drugs’, the ‘hidden lie of low, medium and high’, alongside the important topic of the concerns around racial bias within hair strand testing.

Charlie Ingram and Casey Baldwin, Senior Client Managers

Seminar Room 2

Social work is often referred to within the context of statutory functions and roles which sit within local authorities, but we know that this is just one area of the wide variety of contexts for our beautiful profession. Maybe you are at the start of your career and want to consider all your options or maybe you are at a crossroads in your career and thinking of making a change? This session will explore the different alternatives, what that might mean for your career and the potential impact financially.

Denise Monks is a Professional Officer at BASW England and a registered qualified social worker with over 20 years experience.

Seminar Room 4

Recent Ofsted attention on the sector shows the number of Residential Family Assessment Centres in England has doubled in the past five years, yet often little is known about who uses them, how they operate, or what outcomes they achieve. Drawing on new insights from the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory and real-world experience from the frontline, this session lifts the lid on life inside these unique settings — the challenges, the contradictions, and the surprising moments of hope.

Come along if you’ve ever wondered how to balance empathy with evidence, build trust in tough circumstances, or just want to know what really happens when families live under observation.

Cat Coulier, Managing Director and Responsible Person

Seminar Room 4

In 2018 the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a revised edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD section 11) which now includes Hoarding Disorder as a distinct mental health condition separate from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It is not a lifestyle choice.

It is now widely recognised that enforced clear outs/deep cleans do not work. They do not change the hoarding behaviours. The clear out is another loss, it is extremely traumatic and will only make things worse. The space will more than likely return to an even more cluttered level than before. The individual will probably be even more suspicious of services and more likely to refuse support. The failure rate of deep cleans is near 100% (Bratiotis, 2011).

Hoarding behaviours can sometimes start in the teenage years or earlier. Professionals need to consider whether a referral to Children’s Services is required. Building a positive relationship with individuals who hoard is critical to achieving change for them and in ensuring their safety and protection. Trauma Informed practice goes hand in hand with supporting people who hoard/clutter and helps create space for change.

Hear from the author of an innovative toolkit designed to support professionals in facilitating effective multiagency working with adults who exhibit hoarding behaviours.

Lena Gibson, Hoarding Support Co-ordinator

Seminar Room 6

Age assessments are a challenging experience for young people to experience. Professionals working with separated migrant children will need to help them to uphold human rights, meet statutory responsibilities and protect themselves from potential litigation.

Join Sarah to consider ways in which professionals can complete age assessments in a trauma-informed way using social work resources, tools and knowledge.

Sarah Edwards, Practice Lead

Seminar Room 1

Self-care is more than bubble baths and quick fixes – it’s about building real boundaries that protect your wellbeing and sustain your practice.

In this workshop, you’ll gain the tools to recognise the difference between surface-level self-care and strategies that truly support you as a professional and a person. Learn how to create healthier patterns, maintain balance, and prioritise your needs without guilt.

Join Vicki for a reflective and empowering session designed to help you thrive in social work, not just survive.

Vicki Shevlin

Join us at 4pm for a free wine reception and celebration of social work to meet colleagues and exhibitors from The Social Work Show and discuss the day's learning and opportunities.