Bournemouth: 26-28 November 2025
SCIE at NCASC 2025
Come and find us at NCASC Exhibition Stand C30 to discuss your needs with us, helping us shape our DHSC-funded delivery offer for 2026-2027.
SCIE workshop
We’re excited to host a workshop designed to help local authorities and partners ensure the best possible outcomes for children and young people when using the Mental Capacity Act:
Thursday 27 November, 09:30 – 10.30am: Getting the Mental Capacity Act and Deprivation of Liberty right for children and young people
Join us for an in-depth look at how we can best adapt our systems to uphold the rights of children and young people, exploring how practice and our workers are most effectively supported.
Outline
Use of the Mental Capacity Act for children and young people has grown over the last 12 years and is now a significant feature of children’s services practice. The MCA and Deprivation of Liberty is well established for adult social care. Getting it right for these children and young people is of critical strategic importance because these are some of the children at greatest risk within our care systems and they have a diverse set of needs. We, as leaders, have to adapt our systems to work within the law, uphold their rights and to ensure the best possible outcomes.
This interactive session will include polls, Q&As and smaller group discussions to explore how practice can be supported, so that our workers are best placed, well informed and strongly supported as they work with these children, young people and their families.
Our session will address these issues:
· National picture of demand for MCA and deprivation of liberty
· Strategic challenges for children’s social care
· Children’s rights – the right to safety and the right to freedom
· Legal literacy – the practice necessity
· Equity, diversity and inclusion – what do we know about this group of children and young people, do we know the right things, do we help in the right ways
· Real experiences – what are the stories from children and young people that can help us to build support
Merton Borough Council will share their views and learnings from their experience of addressing the issues above. By the end of the session, participants will have contributed to a living description of what good looks like that they can develop in co-production, in their own areas.
There’ll be a strong balance between national learning, local context, and lived experience—supporting debate, good practice-sharing and peer learning among council leaders, practitioners and people who draw on care.
Q&A
Chair conclusion
Chair: Ellie Haworth, Head of Children’s Services Transformation and Improvement, SCIE
Speakers:
• Bev Hendricks, Director of Children’s Services, Merton Borough Council
• Vijay Patel, Head of Safeguarding, SCIE
SCIE at NCASC 2024
SCIE attended the National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCASC) in November 2024 to showcase our digital innovation around future care models. We offered insights and practical tools for improving social care.
Our reflections: NCASC 2024 blogs
Following on from an engaging and informative few days at NCASC, some of our staff attending the conference have been reflecting on a variety of the key themes and topics that emerged. You can read about SCIE CEO, Kathryn Smith’s thoughts on SCIE’s involvement in the conference, and also find out what Chris Dadson, SCIE Director of Business and Marketing thought about embracing change through being brave.
Tangible impact in digital innovation
SCIE’s digital innovation work has made a tangible impact. Our support for Bromley Council’s benefits includes a 30% targeted improvement in productivity across core operational processes, such as assessments, care planning, and reviews. Our world-class customer recommendation score speaks for our staff’s trusted expertise.
Additionally, our hands-on support for the Accelerating Reform Fund is helping local partnerships develop and grow innovations, including using digital tools in hospital discharge, carer-identification, and support for unpaid carers.
If you’re wondering how to engage with digital innovation, and would like advice, guidance or simply an exploratory chat on digital innovation or other challenges you face, and how we can support you, please contact us at: sciebusdevelopmentteam@scie.org.uk.
Workshops at NCASC
We hosted two workshops designed to help local authorities and partners leverage technology and co-production for impactful change.
- Thursday 28 November, 14:20 – Strategic change and strengths-based approaches: Co-production every step of the way: Join us for an in-depth look at how co-production supports sustainable, strengths-based approaches.
- Friday 29 November, 10:45 – Accelerating Reform Fund: How to enable innovation in social care: Dive into strategies for fostering innovation and explore practical examples of success.
We co-hosted lunchtime chats with Partners in Care and Health. These sessions offered local authorities the chance to discuss their needs, helping us shape our DHSC-funded delivery offer for 2025–26.
Consultancy at SCIE
Our world-class client satisfaction ratings are a testament to our commitment to co-production, innovation, and impactful change. We are excited to bring our expertise and passion for tackling the most critical challenges in social care.
As an independent not-for-profit charity, SCIE is committed to sharing the best knowledge on what truly works, particularly through consultancy that maximises productivity and uses cutting-edge technology to improve people’s lives. Our consultancy services are exceptional value for money, with all income going back into improving social care.
Our collaborative approach means working closely with local authorities, a range of partners, and people with lived experience to provide high-impact consultancy, expert training, and evidence-based resources for the continual improvement of social care.
Discover how SCIE’s consultancy can help you achieve meaningful, sustainable results by visiting our consultancy page.