16 Sep 2010, Cardiff
The Future of Corporate Parenting in Wales : Best Practice and Reform
Corporate Parenting is the collective responsibility of a council to provide the best possible care and protection for children who are ‘looked after’. But what does excellent Corporate Parenting mean for Councillors and Senior Managers? What is the difference between the roles within Corporate Parenting? And what challenges lie ahead for Corporate Parents in implementing the Care Matters agenda? According to Gwenda Thomas AM, Deputy Minister for Social Services, it is the belief of the Welsh Government that a child is best brought up within their families, but in circumstances where the state has to fill that place, excellence is essential.
This unique one day conference explores these issues with senior speakers from across the sector. It will give delegates the opportunity to be briefed on the latest policy and legislative developments, hear about best practice from across Wales and discuss ways in which we can all work together to give every child the start in life we would want for our own children.
Key Learning Points
- Disseminate information from Corporate Parenting in practice, particularly from the document If this were my Child
- Explore the lessons we can all learn from inspections
- Share best practice in effective Corporate Parenting Strategies and Children’s Councils
- Debate the function of Corporate Parenting and how Councillors can best execute this function
- Hear from children and young people in care as to what good Corporate Parenting means to them
- Hear from those who work close with children and how they see the future of Corporate Parenting
Target Audience
- Corporate Parents
- Corporate Parenting Managers
- Scrutiny Panel Chairs and Members
- Councillors with an interest in Corporate Parenting
- Directors and Heads of Service
- Lead Members for Children’s Services
- Children’s service officers with responsibility for Corporate Parenting and Young People Participation
- Teachers
- Children’s Services
- Social Workers
- Participation workers
- Children’s Organisations
- Chief Schools and Lifelong Learning Officer
Catriona Williams
Children in Wales
Leighton Andrews
Minister for Children, Education & Lifelong Learning
Jonathan Corbett
CSSIW
Darren Bird
Funky Dragon
Freda Lewis
The Fostering Network
Penelope Welbourne
University of Plymouth
Matthew Taylor
Voices from Care (Cymru)
Steve Taylor
WLGA
Maria Michael
Cardiff council
Dot Jones
TACT
Cllr. Dai Rees Jones
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Catriona Williams Chief Executive, Children in Wales
Young Person Co-chair
Keynote: Corporate Parenting and Why it Matters to our Young People
Leighton Andrews Minister for Children, Education & Lifelong Learning (Invited)
Accountable Corporate Parenting: Some Reflections on Corporate Parenting from Home and Abroad
Penelope Welbourne Senior Lecturer in Social Work, School of Applied Psychosocial Sciences, University of Plymouth
Aspiring for Excellence in Children’s Services. Learning from Inspection
Jonathan Corbett Assistant Chief Inspector, CSSIW
Workshops
Corporate Parenting Cascade Training Materials: Dissemination and Briefing on Use
Matthew Huggins Chief Executive, Care Matters Partnership
Clive Grimshaw Head of Policy and Research, Care Matters Partnership
Participation in Decision Making
Darren Bird Funky Dragon
What do Children in Care Want from Corporate Parenting?
Matthew Taylor, Senior Training Officer, Voices from Care (Cymru)
If This Were My Child Guidance
Rhwydwaith Maeth, Fostering Network Wales
To be a Corporate Parent: A Councillor’s Perspective - What challenges we face as Corporate Parents and how to overcome them
Cllr. Dai Rees Jones Gwynedd
Panel Debate: Corporate Parenting Partnerships and how far can Corporate Parenting Extend to the Independent Sector
- How far does Corporate Parenting stretch to the independent sector
- How do Corporate Parents ensure quality within the independent sector
Chair: Steve Thomas regulatory services (WLGA) / ADSS / Maria Michael Chief Children’s ServicesOfficer, Cardiff council / Dot Jones Country Director of TACT Cymru / A Young Person
Best Practice in Corporate Parenting and Participation of Vulnerable Children - Effective participation of children and young people
Steve Walker from Swansea City Council
Developing an Excellent Corporate Parenting Strategy and Monitoring Systems
A Local Perspective: Examples of Best practice in Cardiff Council
Maria Michael Chief Children’s Services Officer, Cardiff council
What Would I do if this were my Child? Reflections from a Lead Director
ADSS
Why Corporate Parenting Matters: A Personal Reflection
Young Person
Chair’s Closing Remarks
It is vital for us at Care Matters Partnership that we offer a first class delegate experience. This extends beyond the training itself to ensuring that the whole experiences, from setting off in the morning, through to networking
Hotel Booking Service
Care Matters Partnership is dedicated to sourcing affordable hotel accommodation for all our conferences. Should you wish to take advantage of this service please call 020 7384 2365 or email booking@carematterspartnership.co.uk.
Taxi Booking Service
Care Matters Partnership acknowledges that for those travelling further afield it can be problematic to organise and source transport ahead of time. We will ensure that our venues either provide a concierge service or our registration staff will book a taxi to your requirements
Mobile Phone Charging
It is often very difficult to completely shut off from work pressures while attending a conference. It is often necessary to take time out to make calls and check emails. To ensure you have access, Care Matters Partnership offers a phone charging service at the registration desk at all conferences
Internet Access
Care Matters Partnership accepts that, breaks are often a key time at conferences to check emails and send important documents. We will therefore endeavour to offer delegates access to computers with internet.
Supported Attendance
Care Matters Partnership acknowledges that we are living through public spending cuts and hard economic times. We are therefore always open to discuss reduced attendance at our events for charities with less than 10 staff or for organisations looking to send more than one delegate. Should you wish to discuss a reduced place please call 020 3393 7394 or email bookings@carematterspartnership.co.uk.
Any Special Requirements
Care Matters Partnership ensures that all conference venues we use cater for disabled delegates or delegates with special dietary requirements. To ensure that we can meet all your requirements and ensure that your day is pleasurable and informative please do let us know what we can do to help. Please call 020 7384 2365 or email bookings@carematterspartnership.co.uk.
Feedback
We are always looking for ways in which we can improve the service we provide. Should you have any feedback from an event you attended, our literature, publications or website please do call 020 3393 7394.
We pride ourselves on delivering the lowest cost and highest quality conferences in the sector. Our conferences all start at £99 for bookings made within the first month of publishing and £149 after that. No time limit, no differences in price for the independent sector and no compromising of quality. Click on the following links to find out how we are doing this: