webinars recording

Social Work, relational activism - What is the Point of Children's Social Care? - Webinar May 2024

Relational Activism in Social Work, What is the Point of Children's Social Care #socialwork

Join us for this thought-provoking webinar style conversation Hosted by Richard Devine and Tim Fisher relational Activists as we go to the heart of children's social care.

In the hustle and bustle of community life, it's easy to lose sight of the fundamental question: What is the purpose of children's social work in the UK? In this session, we've gathered some of the most influential leaders in social work to explore this important question. Our panellists will share their insights, experiences, and visions for the future of children's social care.

Dr Beverley Barnett‑Jones is Associate Director for System and Impact at the Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. She is a registered social worker with a career spanning over 25 years in local authority and other statutory children’s and family services.

Donald Forrester is Professor of Child and Family Social Work and Director of CASCADE Centre for Children's Social Care Research and Development at Cardiff University.

Isabelle Trowler took up her post as the government’s first Chief Social Worker for Children and Families in September 2013.

Josh MacAlister is the Executive Chair of Foundations, the What Works Centre for Children and Families. He is also Co-founder and Chair of SHiFT. He chaired the Independent Review of Children's Social Care between March 2021 and May 2022.

Thank you Relational Activism founder Kar Man Au, and Andrew Rist producer

Social Work And Relational Activism: Review of the Year - 2023

The 2023 webinar series by Relational Activism, broadly themed on "Activating Lived Experience in Child Protection Social Work," focuses on the importance of using real-life experiences in child protection. This series includes discussions on various topics: Tim Fisher and Richard Devine host and reflect Peer Advocacy in Child Protection: It explores how first hand experiences from advocates in different areas can improve child protection work.

Open Adoption: The series examines the complex relationships and ethical considerations in adoption. Family Support Strategies: One of the webinars highlights the Change Makers project, which is about designing family support services with input from those it affects.

Children and Young People's Participation: The importance of including children and young people in decisions that affect them in child protection is discussed.

Peer Parental Advocacy: This part of the series looks at new research and experiences in the field of peer parental advocacy. Working with Fathers: It covers strategies and best practices for including fathers in child protection work.

Parent Advocacy in Local Authority Settings: This webinar discusses how parent advocacy is evolving in local government settings.

The series emphasizes the value of including people who have experienced these systems first-hand in designing and implementing child protection strategies. It's useful for social work professionals, students, or anyone interested in child welfare.

Activating lived experience in Child Protection Social Work - 2023

Unleashing the Power of Lived Experience in Child Protection Efforts. Listen to the stories and lessons from peer advocates who bring their unique perspectives to the table. 

Join us as we hear directly from advocates in Camden and Bath & North East Somerset, as they share their experiences in different aspects of child protection work.  Can peer advocacy pave the way for stronger partnerships and more effective support services for all involved? Find out in this thought-provoking session.

Rich Devine and Tim Fisher are Joined by;

Kar Man Au: Relational Activist, Advocate and Peer Researcher

Jourdelle Bennett: Lived experience advocate for fathers and a family group conference coordinator

An exploration of the benefits and challenges of open adoption 2023

Richard Devine, Tim Fisher, are joined by four wonderful guests to confront the interconnected nature of relationships in adoption; the ethics of opening up contact; and the necessity to draw on multiple perspectives to navigate this complex area of social work. A sensitive, thoughtful, thought-provoking webinar on the changing landscape, and how we can nurture relationships to improve outcomes for children and their families.

Julie Young is based at the Centre for Research on Children and Families, University of East Anglia. Her research has focused on issues relating to child protection, foster care and adoption.

Beverley Barnett-Jones MBE is associate director at Nuffield Family Justice Observatory and a member of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood Advisory Group.

Clarissa is a parent activist with lived experience of the child protection system, family support worker and youth worker and Relational Activism founder.

A Professor of Social Work , Brid Featherstone has become increasingly involved in exploring and advising on the issues around systems design and reform both in England in the Republic of Ireland.

a participatory approach. What does good family support look like? - 2023

A transformative webinar that unfolds a powerful project named ChangeMakers. Becca Dove, Head of Early Help at LB Camden, joins forces with Dr. Silvia Grimaldi Professor Silvia Grimaldi, a Reader in Service Design and Collaborative Futures, and Co-Lead and Co-Founder of the Service Futures Lab at London College of Communication (LCC), University of the Arts London (UAL). They will present the outcomes of a inspiring, and collaborative venture. ChangeMakers is a remarkable participatory design project that forged a dynamic alliance between Camden parents, family members, and service design Masters students from UAL College of Communication. The aim? To co-create a design vision for effective family help in a post-COVID world.

participatory approaches with children & young people in child protection -2023

From capturing the voice of the child in child protection work to exploring the use of language to develop participatory forums for children in care, this webinar will examine the challenges, but also many advantages to adopting an participatory and inclusive approach.

This webinar, drawing directly from those with lived experience, will give you knowledge and the inspiration to move beyond ‘tick box’ approaches, to truly participatory and engaging ways to involve children in every stage of the process.

Contributors here were Dr Jo Dillon The University of Sheffield‬

Terri - Anne Hamer Advocate check out #NIYAA

Suraya Miah and young people from Camden Giving

weighing the evidence, peer parental advocacy in child protection work -2023

This is an engaging webinar exploring the exciting and innovative new research on peer parental advocacy and its potential to transform family help and partnership working. Discover the cutting-edge findings from the London Borough of Camden, as Dr. Clive Diaz and Sammi Fitz-Symonds presents their groundbreaking report on the development of advocacy in the area. Tim Fisher, a seasoned manager, and peer parental advocates from Camden will be join us to share their first-hand experiences and insights. To further deepen our understanding, Richard Devine presents a comprehensive literature review on the topic, co-authored with Dr. Diaz. Get ready to be inspired and equipped with the latest knowledge on the power of peer parental advocacy. Don't miss out on this opportunity to learn how we can transform the way we support families!

inclusive working with fathers in child protection: best practices and strategies -2023

An enlightening webinar where we look at the crucial role of fathers in child protection. Joining Tim Fisher and Richard Devine:

• Kevin Makwikila: Lived experience advocate for fathers and trustee at Family Rights Group

• Dr Georgia Philip: A leading UK researcher regarding the topic of working with fathers

• Jourdelle Bennett: Lived experience advocate for fathers and a family group conference coordinator

• Danny & Mike from Lads Like Us: A leading UK resource on trauma-informed practice with lived experience