Conference Programme

Seminar Room 2

Difficult conversations are an essential part of social work, yet they can be challenging to navigate with confidence and compassion.

This session explores how meaningful direct work can create opportunities for courageous conversations with children and young people about their experiences, wishes and worries. Through hands-on activities and reflective discussions, attendees will build confidence in exploring sensitive issues, addressing concerns and handling conflict. 

Emily Bailey and Shannen Slevin Practice Leads, Workforce Academy, Liverpool City Council

Seminar Room 3

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 in 2026.

Dr Neil Thompson is highly respected for his longstanding and highly influential work in this area. He emphasises the importance of allyship and the need for people to come together in wrestling with these issues.

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

Seminar Room 6

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, COMPASS

Seminar Room 2

In this session, Exemplar Health Care’s Service User Ambassadors share their lived experiences of moving through services, including what works, what doesn’t, and what truly makes a difference to their lives.

Through real stories, they’ll explore what it feels like when care isn’t joined up - and how the right support, environment and relationships can help rebuild confidence, independence, and stability.

You’ll hear directly about the impact of decisions made at referral stage, what people value most when moving into a new home, and how small conversations can shape long-term outcomes.

The session will challenge and support you to reflect on key questions, and consider how to ensure the person - not just the placement - stays at the centre of every decision.

Exemplar Health Care’s Service User Ambassadors

Seminar Room 1

Join Ann-Marie Matson, Director of Children's Services, as she shares North East Lincolnshire's transformation journey. Discover how courageous leadership, a relational practice model, workforce investment and a relentless focus on children and families have driven improvement, strengthened practice and created a service where children, families and staff can thrive.

KEYNOTE:  Ann-Marie Matson, Director of Children's Services, North East Lincolnshire Council

Seminar Room 4

This session explores how reasonable adjustments and inclusive practice can support neurodivergent people to thrive across all aspects of life, including accessing social care services, employment, education and community opportunities. Drawing on the principles of the Care Act 2014, the Equality Act 2010 and strengths-based practice, participants will explore how the duty to prevent, reduce and delay needs for care and support can be applied through practical, person-centred adjustments.

The session will consider how the Equality Act 2010 can promote equity and help identify and remove barriers faced by neurodivergent people and staff. Participants will develop greater confidence in having strengths-based conversations about neurodiversity, wellbeing and support needs, while considering how early conversations and appropriate adjustments can prevent distress, reduce the risk of burnout and help prevent needs from escalating.

Samantha Russell, Neurodivergent Social Worker, Educator, and Practice Development Officer

Seminar Room 6

Home visits are not simple, especially in safeguarding. Entering someone’s home means stepping into their world. It requires sensitivity, self-awareness, and practical preparation.

This seminar explores what happens before you knock, focusing on how practitioners can prepare mentally, emotionally and practically for visits that may carry risk, uncertainty or emotional intensity.

Participants will learn how to take five minutes to plan for safety — including assessing known risks, considering travel logistics and thinking about when to visit alone or with a colleague. The session will also cover communication strategies such as leaving written notes or letters appropriately and ethically, maintaining confidentiality, and providing families with clear, compassionate messages even when contact isn’t made.

Equally important, the seminar will offer grounding and self-regulation techniques that help social workers bring calm and presence into the home. From mindful breathing to managing tone and pace of speech, participants will discover small but powerful ways to build trust and de-escalate tense situations.

This session will equip you with practical tools, reflective strategies and confidence for one of social work’s most complex tasks

Vicki Shevlin, Social Work Trainer, COMPASS

Seminar Room 3

This seminar explores the process of grooming and how it can contribute to the normalisation of intrafamilial child sexual abuse. Participants will examine the dynamics of grooming and normalisation, including how these behaviours may be linked to experiences of childhood and adult trauma.

The seminar will review recent Serious Case Reviews to identify key learning points and explore how indicators of child sexual abuse were overlooked or missed. Emphasis will be placed on understanding and amplifying the voice of the child, enabling practitioners to recognise signs of harm and engage in open, curious, and supportive conversations with parents and carers.

The aim of the seminar is to equip practitioners with the knowledge, confidence, and practical strategies needed to work effectively with families where child sexual abuse is a concern. It will provide guidance on discussing risk with parents and carers, supporting professional curiosity, and promoting safeguarding interventions that prioritise the safety and wellbeing of children.

Claire Connors, Trainer, ParentAssess

Seminar Room 1

Social work in coastal areas has high vacancy rates, reliance on agency staff, and good people leaving faster than you can replace them. This talk shares findings from an NIHR-funded programme that set out to understand why coastal areas seem to get hit harder than most — and what's actually working to turn things around.

The headline finding is that pay isn't the main driver of people leaving. What matters more is whether workers feel supported day to day: manageable caseloads, supervision that actually helps rather than just monitors, and a sense they're not on their own. In coastal teams, which tend to be smaller and more spread out, isolation is a bigger factor than in cities — workers often don't have a critical mass of peers nearby to lean on, share cases with, or learn from.

We also found that career progression, or the lack of it, pushes experienced staff out. If the next step in your career means leaving the area, you'll lose people to inland authorities eventually, regardless of how good the day-to-day support is.

The talk will walk through what retention actually looks like in practice in the coastal authorities we studied — the things managers did that made a measurable difference — and what to avoid. We'll finish with practical recommendations you can take back to your own teams, plus a look at what this means for how workforce funding and support should be targeted going forward.

This is a findings-first, practice-focused session — less theory, more "here's what worked and why”.

Dave Callow, General Secretary, SWU and p anellists: Prof Jermaine Ravalier, Dr Joe Hanley, Dr Paulina Wegrzynek, Dr Nazm Berry, Marria Riaz 

Seminar Room 5

As social workers we are constantly dealing, talking about and assessing risk.

Yet our language and thinking around risk is muddled leading to a misunderstanding of concepts and a false comfort in our actions and assessments.

I suggest the clearest possible definitions of the key terms to ensure professional clarity.

- Uncertainty
- Likelihood
- Risk

Are all defined and made explicit from one another, clearing up the foggy language that pervades our profession.

Utilizing the work of Munro and Sterenborg et al I discuss how we view risk in social work context and how we can do better.

I end with a hard question at £16 Billion a year how much safety do we create as a profession, what else could we do instead.

George Bull is an Independent Social Worker of 17 years with a background in Financial Risk and Accountancy.

George Bull, Independent Social Worker

Seminar Room 3

Blackpool has some of the highest rates of families with parents who experience separations from their babies. Over the last two years we’ve been trying a new approach that is still in development – WAVES.

WAVES is a therapeutic offer supporting parents to recognise and recover from trauma, it is complimented by support from parents with lived experience (‘Parent Supporters’), supporting parents in pregnancy and after babies are born. We have been supported by a wider leadership culture to start small, learn and grow slowly, and we are constantly learning from this new approach. The team have time to build relationships, understand parents’ histories in ways we haven’t done before and ultimately to be hopeful. This session will share what we have learned so far.

Blackpool Council

Seminar Room 4

What does good support actually look like? And how can quality assurance strengthen your practice without getting in the way of your professional judgement?

In this session, ASCS will explore what social workers should expect from the organisations they choose to work with. From access to varied opportunities and responsive support to our unique quality assurance model, we’ll take an honest look at what sits behind a well-supported panel.

Whether you're considering independent work or already working on a panel, this session will ask an important question: are you getting the support you should be?

Sandra Van Empel & Amanda Walsh, Independent Social Workers, Advanced SCS

Seminar room 1

Social work and social care are under more pressure than ever. In this session, Dr Neil Thompson offers a framework for making sense of it – and makes a case for the kind of leadership development the field actually needs.

Let’s face it, social work and social care are not in the best of places these days. There have always been difficulties and challenges – that is the nature of the work – but the modern scene takes us well beyond the familiar. The problems and the barriers to progress have multiplied, and they will not resolve themselves.

Dr Neil Thompson recently produced a report that examines the situation through the lens of his 3Ps framework: where there are People, there will be Problems – but there will also be Potential. The report sets out the challenges facing all of us in social work and social care and offers the 3Ps as a practical way of making sense of a complex picture. There are no magic solutions on offer – but there is plenty of food for thought to take the conversation further and deeper.

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

Seminar Room 2

At North East Lincolnshire, we are committed to creating a culture of learning, support and professional excellence. From our award-winning Foundations for Practice induction programme to leadership development, specialist training and continuous professional development opportunities, we invest in our workforce at every stage of their career. Our practitioners benefit from a strong learning culture, high-quality supervision, clear career pathways and opportunities to shape and influence practice as we deliver ambitious children's social care reforms. Whether you are newly qualified or an experienced professional, North East Lincolnshire offers a supportive environment where you can grow, thrive and make a real difference to the lives of children and families.

Julie Bettany, Workforce Lead Children’s Services, North East Lincolnshire Council

Seminar Room 1

This session explores the different dimensions of leadership within the helping professions, recognising that effective leadership is shaped not only by formal roles and responsibilities, but also by relationships, influence, emotional complexity and lived experience. Through a series of quick-fire talks from experienced practitioners, educators, activists and practice leaders, the session will consider what leadership looks like in different contexts and why it matters at every level of professional practice.

The quick-fire talks will explore:

- Emotional Complexity and Leadership – Claudia Megele, prominent national leader and researcher, author, former Assistant Director and National Safeguarding Lead for Cafcass, and former National Chair of the Principal Social Workers Network
- Relational Leadership – Tim Fisher, specialist in facilitation and change, social worker and relational practice leader
- Leadership, Influence and Impact – Chris Wild, care-leaver activist, author and campaigner advocating for reform in children’s social care
- Why Practitioners Need to Talk More About Leadership – Kayleigh Rose Evans, practice leader, prominent podcaster and educator
- Neurodiversity and Leadership – Samantha Russell, Neurodivergent Social Worker, Educator and Practice Development Officer

The quick-fire talks will be followed by a panel discussion, giving attendees the opportunity to explore these themes further and put questions directly to the speakers.

Claudia Megele, national social work leader, researcher and author, and p anellists: Chris Wild, Tim Fisher, Kayleigh Rose Evans

Seminar Room 3

This interactive session will explore a question we’ve all been asked at some point—often by colleagues from different professional backgrounds—and one that can be surprisingly difficult to answer without simply listing tasks or functions. Yet we know that social work is so much more than that.

Together, we will examine the “golden thread” that defines us as social workers, and the unique value this brings—not only to the people we support, but also to our colleagues and the wider communities we serve.

We will share a recent BASW publication The contribution of social workers to multi-disciplinary practice | BASW  

Denise Monks is a Professional Officer at BASW England and a registered qualified social worker with over 25 years’ experience.

Denise Monks, Professional Officer, BASW England

Seminar Room 4

In the complex world of social care and safeguarding, the difference between a life-changing decision and a missed opportunity often lies in the quality of the evidence. When a family’s narrative is complex and the risks are high, social workers need more than just data—they need clarity.

Join Forensic Testing Service (FTS) for an insightful session on how advanced forensic testing acts as a powerful lens, cutting through the "noise" of difficult cases. We will explore how to move beyond basic lab results to achieve a deeper, more accurate understanding of substance misuse and risk.

Attendees will learn:

Beyond the Result: How to interpret forensic reports to build unassailable, evidence-based care plans.

Integrity in Practice: Why the "chain of custody" and testing methodology are your best defence in court.

Risk vs. Reality: Using the latest hair, alcohol, and DNA insights to verify histories and protect the vulnerable.

Steve Nurdin, Senior Account Manager, Forensic Testing Service

Seminar Room 2 

This workshop explores why understanding diversity, identity and inequality remain central to effective social work practice, particularly at a time when Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) initiatives are increasingly challenged.

Drawing on the Professional Standards for Social Workers and the soon-to-be implemented Early Career Framework, including Standard 4: Explores Identity to Deliver Anti-Discriminatory Practice, the session argues that cultural humility, anti-discriminatory practice and understanding identity are not only professional responsibilities, but the catalyst which sparked the most innovative social work practices and innovations we have witnessed these last 15 years.

Through practice examples and an interactive Strength Ring exercise, participants will reflect on the qualities needed to lead and practise effectively in challenging times, including courage, curiosity, integrity, hope, and cultural humility.

The session will encourage social workers, educators, and leaders to remain anchored to evidence, ethics and human dignity while continuing to innovate, connect and create better outcomes for children and families.

Dr Beverley Barnet, Director, Nurture Futures

Seminar Room 3

This informative session will explore the national children’s social care reform agenda and what it means for practitioners entering and progressing through the profession. Attendees will gain an understanding of key developments, including the Families First Partnership Programme, the Kinship Zone and Social Work National Professional Development Offer and the evolving role of practice leadership. Drawing on North East Lincolnshire’s approach to workforce development, the seminar will consider how organisations can support early career practitioners to develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to thrive in a changing landscape, while ensuring the workforce is equipped to deliver the best possible outcomes for children, young people and families.

Harriet Malkin, Deputy Service Director, Safeguarding and Disability Help, Protection, Care, Care Leavers; and Helen Davis Children's Strategic Lead, North East Lincolnshire Council

Seminar Room 5

Assessments can be among the most challenging aspects of social work practice, particularly for newly qualified practitioners. This session offers a practical and reflective approach to building confidence in assessment, planning and recording.

Vicki will explore why assessment work can feel overwhelming in the early stages of practice and explain how a clear understanding of statutory guidance and local authority policies can support sound professional decision-making, particularly when navigating disagreements or uncertainty.

The session will also examine the strengths and limitations of the Assessment Triangle, encouraging practitioners to think critically rather than relying on formulaic approaches. Alongside this, delegates will consider how to move beyond "assessment robot" mode by developing meaningful relationships with children and families while maintaining analytical rigour.

Through practical examples and actionable advice, attendees will leave with greater confidence in approaching child and family assessments, applying professional judgement, and producing assessments that are both evidence-informed and person-centred.

Vicki Shevlin, Social Work Trainer, COMPASS