From 13 – 17 September 2021, more than 270 representatives from 17 local authorities taking part in Strengthening Families, Protecting Children attended 3 workshops led by each of the innovating authorities – Hertfordshire, Leeds and North Yorkshire – and a closing panel session that included representatives from across the Programme, including DfE.
The theme for the learning event was ‘Balancing protecting children with support for families’; a theme inspired by the Case for Change published in June 2021 as part of the Care review.
Welcome and introduction
Dawn Taylor, Deputy Director for Innovation, Learning and Digital at DfE launched the event on Monday 13th with a warm welcome and introduction to all those taking part.
Strengthening Families, Protecting Children programme event
Workshops
- On Tuesday 14th Steve Walker and his team at Leeds Family Valued led a workshop entitled Reimagining Child Welfare for the 21st Century
- On Wednesday 15th Iain Kirkup and Gaynor Carlton led out a series of presentations by each of the five authorities adopting No Wrong Door
- On Thursday 16th Sue Willliams and her team from Hertfordshire Family Safeguarding leading a discussion around the theme of the event, linking directly to issues raised by Josh McAlister in Case for Change.
Closing panel session
In the closing panel session, discussions turned to the shared values and common features of Family Valued, Family Safeguarding and No Wrong Door, and in particular to the passion and energy that practitioners bring to their work in these powerful innovations.
SFPC event September 2021: Innovator panel session
Huge thanks and congratulations are due to everyone who worked so hard to make this important event possible. Look out for further exploration of some of the key themes emerging from the discussions in the December issue of the Strengthening Families Learning Journal.
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