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X-WR-CALDESC:Events for Social Care Skills
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DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260916T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260916T160000
DTSTAMP:20260818T095633Z
CREATED:20260810T142248Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260818T095633Z
UID:5805-1789552800-1789574400@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Supported Accommodation Regulations
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nThe Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 established a regulatory framework for supported accommodation for looked after children and care leavers aged 16 and 17. Understanding these requirements is essential for providers\, Registered Service Managers\, Nominated Individuals\, and practitioners responsible for delivering safe\, effective\, and child-centred support. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 16th September\, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £104 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £134 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThis practical course provides a structured exploration of the Supported Accommodation Regulations and the Quality Standards\, helping participants understand not only what the regulations require but how they should influence everyday practice\, leadership\, safeguarding\, support planning\, and service development. \n\n\n\nThe session moves beyond simply reading the regulations and focuses on translating regulatory requirements into meaningful practice that promotes young people’s safety\, development\, independence\, experiences\, and outcomes. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course examines the regulatory framework governing supported accommodation and the responsibilities it places on registered providers\, Registered Service Managers\, Nominated Individuals\, and staff. \n\n\n\nParticipants will explore the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023\, including the Quality Standards and wider requirements relating to the management and operation of registered services. \n\n\n\nThe session considers key areas including: \n\n\n\n\nThe purpose and scope of the Supported Accommodation Regulations.\n\n\n\nThe four categories of supported accommodation.\n\n\n\nThe Quality Standards and what they mean in practice.\n\n\n\nLeadership and management responsibilities.\n\n\n\nSafeguarding and protection of young people.\n\n\n\nSupport planning and promoting positive outcomes.\n\n\n\nYoung people’s wishes\, feelings\, and participation.\n\n\n\nWorkforce requirements and staff development.\n\n\n\nRecruitment and fitness requirements.\n\n\n\nNotifications of serious events.\n\n\n\nPolicies\, records\, and organisational systems.\n\n\n\nMonitoring and reviewing the quality of support.\n\n\n\nThe roles and responsibilities of the Registered Provider\, Nominated Individual\, and Registered Service Manager.\n\n\n\n\nThe course also considers how the different requirements connect rather than treating individual regulations as isolated compliance tasks. \n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThroughout the course\, participants will consider how regulatory requirements translate into the everyday operation of supported accommodation services. \n\n\n\nPractical examples\, scenarios\, and discussion will help participants explore how to: \n\n\n\n\nTranslate the Quality Standards into everyday support practice.\n\n\n\nDemonstrate how support contributes to young people’s progress and outcomes.\n\n\n\nConnect support plans\, risk assessments\, key working\, and independence development.\n\n\n\nStrengthen safeguarding arrangements while promoting appropriate independence and positive risk-taking.\n\n\n\nEnsure young people’s views influence their support and the development of the service.\n\n\n\nDevelop effective management oversight and quality assurance systems.\n\n\n\nIdentify gaps between written policies and actual practice.\n\n\n\nUse incidents\, complaints\, feedback\, and monitoring to improve services.\n\n\n\nEvidence regulatory compliance without allowing practice to become dominated by paperwork.\n\n\n\nPrepare services and staff to explain and demonstrate their practice confidently during Ofsted inspections.\n\n\n\n\nThe emphasis throughout is on understanding how regulations should shape the quality of support experienced by young people rather than viewing compliance as a separate administrative exercise. \n\n\n\nRegulatory and Professional Context\n\n\n\nThe course is grounded specifically in the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023 and the associated regulatory framework for supported accommodation for looked after children and care leavers aged 16 and 17. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider the relationship between the Regulations\, the Quality Standards\, Ofsted registration and inspection expectations\, safeguarding responsibilities\, and wider statutory responsibilities towards looked after children and care leavers. \n\n\n\nThe session will also consider how regulatory requirements interact with relevant statutory guidance\, including safeguarding expectations and the Children’s Social Care National Framework\, and how these wider expectations influence leadership\, support planning\, partnership working\, and outcomes for young people. \n\n\n\nParticular attention is given to the distinction between providing support within regulated supported accommodation and arrangements that may constitute care\, helping participants understand the boundaries and purpose of the supported accommodation model. \n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants will be able to: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstand the purpose and structure of the Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023.\n\n\n\nExplain the Quality Standards and their implications for everyday practice.\n\n\n\nUnderstand the responsibilities of registered providers\, Nominated Individuals\, Registered Service Managers\, and staff.\n\n\n\nTranslate regulatory requirements into effective operational practice.\n\n\n\nUnderstand expectations relating to safeguarding\, support planning\, workforce development\, and young people’s participation.\n\n\n\nRecognise the importance of management oversight\, monitoring\, and quality assurance.\n\n\n\nUnderstand requirements relating to records\, policies\, notifications\, and organisational systems.\n\n\n\nConnect regulatory compliance with young people’s experiences\, progress\, and outcomes.\n\n\n\nRecognise the boundaries between support and care within supported accommodation.\n\n\n\nDevelop greater confidence in demonstrating compliance and effective practice during Ofsted inspection.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is specifically designed for professionals working within or responsible for Ofsted-regulated Supported Accommodation for 16- and 17-year-old looked after children and care leavers. It is particularly relevant for Registered Service Managers\, Nominated Individuals\, Responsible Officers\, Directors\, Deputy Managers\, Team Leaders\, Supported Accommodation Practitioners\, Quality Assurance professionals\, commissioners\, and individuals developing or preparing to register supported accommodation services. \n\n\n\nIt is also suitable for professionals who work alongside supported accommodation providers and want to develop a clearer understanding of the regulatory framework and expectations placed upon these services. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nMiguel Valerio is a Social Worker\, trainer\, consultant\, and regulatory specialist with more than 20 years of professional experience across children’s social care\, education\, leadership\, and service development. \n\n\n\nMiguel has extensive operational experience within Supported Accommodation\, including working as a Registered Service Manager with responsibility for safeguarding\, regulatory compliance\, support planning\, risk management\, workforce development\, quality assurance\, and service improvement. He has also held wider operational leadership responsibilities across both Supported Accommodation and Children’s Homes and previously worked as a Responsible Individual for Children’s Homes. \n\n\n\nHis experience includes supporting services through the introduction of the regulatory framework for Supported Accommodation and translating new regulatory requirements into operational systems\, policies\, workforce practice\, and quality assurance arrangements. \n\n\n\nThrough Social Care Skills\, Miguel provides training\, consultancy\, audits\, and regulatory support to Supported Accommodation providers. His approach focuses on making regulation understandable and practical\, helping managers and practitioners move beyond knowing what the regulations say to understanding what they mean for the everyday experiences and outcomes of young people. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/supported-accommodation-regulations/
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/SEP26-SA-Regs.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260918T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260918T130000
DTSTAMP:20260810T143014Z
CREATED:20260810T143011Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260810T143014Z
UID:5811-1789725600-1789736400@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Managing Allegations
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nAllegations or concerns about adults who work with children require careful\, timely\, and proportionate responses. Organisations must protect children while ensuring concerns are managed fairly\, information is shared appropriately\, and safeguarding\, employment\, regulatory\, and multi-agency responsibilities are understood. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 18th September\, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £54 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £74 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThis practical course explores how allegations against staff\, carers\, volunteers\, and other adults working with children should be identified\, reported\, managed\, and reviewed. It helps participants understand the distinction between an allegation\, a safeguarding concern\, a complaint\, and a conduct or performance issue\, and considers when involvement from the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) is required. \n\n\n\nThe course supports managers and safeguarding professionals to respond confidently from the point a concern is raised through to investigation\, outcome\, learning\, and organisational improvement. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course explores the principles and processes involved in managing allegations and concerns about adults who work with children. \n\n\n\nKey areas include: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstanding what constitutes an allegation against a person working with children.\n\n\n\nRecognising the thresholds for referral and consultation with the LADO.\n\n\n\nDistinguishing allegations from complaints\, conduct concerns\, performance issues\, and wider safeguarding concerns.\n\n\n\nResponding appropriately when an allegation or concern is first raised.\n\n\n\nImmediate safeguarding and risk management considerations.\n\n\n\nThe role of the LADO and the allegations management process.\n\n\n\nRoles and responsibilities of employers\, safeguarding partners\, police\, regulators\, and other agencies.\n\n\n\nManaging information sharing and confidentiality.\n\n\n\nRecording decisions\, actions\, and professional rationale.\n\n\n\nUnderstanding the relationship between safeguarding and internal employment processes.\n\n\n\nManaging allegations where the evidence or circumstances are unclear.\n\n\n\nSupporting children\, staff\, and others affected by an allegation.\n\n\n\nUnderstanding possible outcomes and next steps.\n\n\n\nLearning from allegations to strengthen organisational safeguarding.\n\n\n\n\nThe session also explores common mistakes in allegations management and how organisations can develop systems and cultures that enable concerns to be identified\, reported\, and responded to appropriately. \n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThrough scenarios\, discussion\, and practical examples\, participants will consider how allegations management operates in real situations. \n\n\n\nParticipants will explore how to: \n\n\n\n\nIdentify whether information may meet the threshold for an allegation.\n\n\n\nDecide when LADO consultation or referral should be considered.\n\n\n\nTake proportionate immediate action while further information is established.\n\n\n\nAvoid undertaking inappropriate internal investigations before safeguarding processes have been agreed.\n\n\n\nRecord concerns\, decisions\, rationale\, and actions clearly.\n\n\n\nManage communication and confidentiality appropriately.\n\n\n\nCoordinate safeguarding processes with disciplinary or employment procedures.\n\n\n\nRespond when allegations involve senior managers or organisational leaders.\n\n\n\nMaintain appropriate support for the child and the adult concerned.\n\n\n\nUse the outcome of allegations to inform supervision\, risk management\, policy\, training\, and organisational learning.\n\n\n\n\nThe course encourages participants to work through the complexities and professional judgement involved rather than approaching allegations management as a simple procedural checklist. \n\n\n\nRegulatory and Professional Context\n\n\n\nManaging allegations forms an important part of organisational safeguarding and safer workforce practice. \n\n\n\nThe course considers the expectations within statutory safeguarding arrangements for responding to allegations concerning people who work with children\, including the role of the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and effective multi-agency working. \n\n\n\nThe session also considers the relevance of allegations management across regulated children’s social care services\, including Children’s Homes\, Supported Accommodation\, and Fostering Services\, alongside wider organisations and services where adults work or volunteer with children. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider the relationship between allegations management\, safer recruitment\, safeguarding policies\, whistleblowing\, staff conduct\, disciplinary procedures\, referrals to relevant professional or regulatory bodies\, and organisational governance. \n\n\n\nA central theme throughout the course is achieving an appropriate balance between protecting children\, ensuring procedural fairness\, and maintaining effective organisational safeguarding. \n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants will be able to: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstand what constitutes an allegation or concern about an adult working with children.\n\n\n\nRecognise the thresholds for LADO consultation and referral.\n\n\n\nDistinguish safeguarding allegations from complaints\, performance concerns\, and other employment matters.\n\n\n\nRespond appropriately when an allegation is first identified.\n\n\n\nUnderstand the roles and responsibilities of the LADO\, employer\, and other relevant agencies.\n\n\n\nApply appropriate safeguarding and risk management measures while allegations are considered.\n\n\n\nUnderstand the relationship between safeguarding investigations and employment processes.\n\n\n\nImprove the quality of recording\, information sharing\, and professional decision-making.\n\n\n\nRecognise common mistakes that can undermine effective allegations management.\n\n\n\nUse learning from allegations to strengthen organisational safeguarding practice and culture.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is suitable for professionals with responsibility for safeguarding\, staff management\, governance\, or responding to concerns about adults working with children. \n\n\n\nIt is particularly relevant for Registered Managers\, Responsible Individuals\, Nominated Individuals\, Designated Safeguarding Leads\, Deputy Managers\, Service Managers\, Fostering Managers\, Supervising Social Workers\, HR professionals\, senior leaders\, safeguarding professionals\, and others responsible for managing allegations or making referrals to the LADO. \n\n\n\nIt is relevant across children’s social care and other organisations where professionals\, carers\, or volunteers work with children and young people. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nAndrea Garcia-Sangil is a highly regarded safeguarding leader with more than two decades of leadership experience across a wide range of organisations. She has developed a strong reputation for supporting organisations to create safe and inclusive environments for children and for embedding safeguarding into organisational culture. \n\n\n\nAndrea served as a Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) for more than 10 years\, overseeing the management of allegations and leading national and local initiatives designed to strengthen safeguarding practice. She has also worked for both a regulatory body and a national governing body\, conducting safeguarding investigations and risk assessments. This combination of experience gives Andrea a detailed understanding of allegations management\, regulatory expectations\, organisational safeguarding\, and effective partnership working. \n\n\n\nAndrea was part of the task team that developed the LADO Handbook with the Department for Education in 2023 and has contributed to national work aimed at strengthening safeguarding referrals and Position of Trust protections. She has also undertaken safeguarding reviews and scrutiny work during particularly challenging periods for organisations. \n\n\n\nHer approach emphasises the importance of balancing doing things right with doing the right thing\, supporting organisations to move beyond minimum compliance towards strong\, confident\, and embedded safeguarding practice. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/managing-allegations/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260922T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260922T130000
DTSTAMP:20260810T143253Z
CREATED:20260810T143251Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260810T143253Z
UID:5816-1790071200-1790082000@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:The Roles of the Nominated Individual / Responsible Individual
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nEffective oversight of children’s social care services depends on senior leaders understanding not only their own responsibilities but also how their role connects with the Registered Manager and the wider organisation. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 22nd September\, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £54 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £74 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThis practical course explores the roles of the Nominated Individual (NI) and Responsible Individual (RI) within regulated children’s social care\, examining their responsibilities for governance\, oversight\, safeguarding\, quality assurance\, regulatory compliance\, and service improvement. \n\n\n\nThe session also considers the role of the Registered Manager (RM) and the relationship between operational management and organisational oversight. This is particularly important in ensuring clarity about where responsibilities sit\, what should be delegated\, what requires senior-level scrutiny\, and how the NI/RI can provide effective support and challenge without becoming the day-to-day manager of the service. \n\n\n\nThe course is designed to move beyond job titles and regulatory definitions\, focusing on what effective NI and RI oversight looks like in practice. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course explores the responsibilities and expectations associated with the Nominated Individual and Responsible Individual roles and how these differ across regulated children’s social care settings. \n\n\n\nKey areas include: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstanding the purpose of the NI and RI roles.\n\n\n\nKey differences between the Nominated Individual\, Responsible Individual\, and Registered Manager.\n\n\n\nAccountability and lines of responsibility within the organisation.\n\n\n\nGovernance and oversight of regulated services.\n\n\n\nMaintaining effective oversight without taking over operational management.\n\n\n\nSupporting and challenging the Registered Manager.\n\n\n\nMonitoring safeguarding practice and significant incidents.\n\n\n\nUnderstanding service performance and identifying emerging concerns.\n\n\n\nQuality assurance and continuous improvement.\n\n\n\nWorkforce oversight\, leadership\, and organisational culture.\n\n\n\nMonitoring regulatory compliance.\n\n\n\nResponding to concerns\, deterioration in service quality\, or inspection findings.\n\n\n\nEvidencing effective oversight to Ofsted.\n\n\n\nDeveloping effective communication between the provider\, NI/RI\, and Registered Manager.\n\n\n\n\nThe course also considers how senior leaders can avoid oversight becoming either too distant or overly operational. \n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThrough practical examples\, discussion\, and scenarios\, participants will consider how the NI or RI role should operate in everyday practice. \n\n\n\nParticipants will explore how to: \n\n\n\n\nEstablish clear boundaries between governance and operational management.\n\n\n\nDevelop effective working relationships with Registered Managers.\n\n\n\nAsk appropriate questions and provide constructive professional challenge.\n\n\n\nIdentify what information senior leaders should routinely receive and review.\n\n\n\nMonitor safeguarding concerns\, incidents\, complaints\, notifications\, and other indicators of service quality.\n\n\n\nUse audits\, reports\, feedback\, and performance information to understand what is happening within a service.\n\n\n\nRecognise early warning signs of declining quality or ineffective leadership.\n\n\n\nEnsure actions identified through monitoring or inspection are followed through.\n\n\n\nSupport Registered Managers while maintaining appropriate accountability.\n\n\n\nDemonstrate the impact of organisational oversight during regulatory inspection.\n\n\n\n\nThe emphasis is on developing oversight arrangements that provide genuine assurance about the quality and safety of services rather than simply generating additional monitoring paperwork. \n\n\n\nRegulatory and Professional Context\n\n\n\nThe course considers the different regulatory contexts in which the Nominated Individual and Responsible Individual roles operate. \n\n\n\nWithin Children’s Homes\, the Responsible Individual has an important role in representing the organisation and maintaining oversight of the home’s management and regulatory compliance. \n\n\n\nWithin Supported Accommodation\, the Nominated Individual provides organisational oversight and represents the registered provider in relation to the regulated service. \n\n\n\nThe course will also consider the relationship between these roles and the Registered Manager\, helping participants understand the different expectations placed on organisational leaders and those responsible for the day-to-day management of services. Relevant Ofsted expectations\, regulatory requirements\, safeguarding responsibilities\, governance arrangements\, and quality assurance processes will be considered throughout the session. \n\n\n\nThe emphasis is not simply on demonstrating compliance but on understanding how effective senior leadership and governance contribute to safe services\, strong organisational cultures\, continuous improvement\, and positive experiences and outcomes for children and young people. \n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants will be able to: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstand the purpose and responsibilities of the Nominated Individual and Responsible Individual roles.\n\n\n\nRecognise the differences between the NI\, RI\, and Registered Manager.\n\n\n\nUnderstand where organisational accountability and operational management responsibilities sit.\n\n\n\nEstablish appropriate boundaries between oversight and day-to-day management.\n\n\n\nDevelop effective arrangements for supporting and challenging Registered Managers.\n\n\n\nStrengthen oversight of safeguarding\, workforce practice\, service quality\, and regulatory compliance.\n\n\n\nUse management information\, audits\, incidents\, feedback\, and other evidence to evaluate service performance.\n\n\n\nRecognise early indicators that a service or management team may require additional support or intervention.\n\n\n\nUnderstand how effective governance and oversight can be demonstrated to Ofsted.\n\n\n\nDevelop stronger systems of organisational accountability and continuous improvement.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is particularly designed for Nominated Individuals and Responsible Individuals\, including those who are new to the role or preparing to take on these responsibilities. It is also highly relevant for Registered Managers\, helping them understand the different responsibilities and expectations of the NI/RI and RM roles and how effective oversight\, support\, challenge\, and accountability should operate between them. \n\n\n\nThe course may also benefit Directors\, Responsible Officers\, Service Managers\, senior leaders\, Deputy Managers preparing for progression\, and professionals responsible for governance or quality assurance within regulated children’s social care services. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nMiguel Valerio is a Social Worker\, trainer\, consultant\, and children’s social care specialist with more than 20 years of professional experience across social work\, education\, service management\, leadership\, and service development. \n\n\n\nMiguel has direct experience of the leadership structures explored within this course. He has worked as a Responsible Individual for Children’s Homes\, with responsibility for organisational oversight\, regulatory compliance\, quality assurance\, safeguarding\, and supporting Registered Managers. He has also worked as a Registered Service Manager for Supported Accommodation and held wider operational leadership responsibilities across both Children’s Homes and Supported Accommodation. \n\n\n\nHis experience gives him a practical understanding of both sides of the relationship: the responsibilities of senior organisational oversight and the realities of managing regulated services operationally. \n\n\n\nThrough Social Care Skills\, Miguel provides training\, consultancy\, audits\, regulatory support\, and leadership development to children’s social care providers. His approach focuses on translating regulatory responsibilities into practical leadership arrangements that strengthen accountability\, support managers\, identify problems early\, and ultimately improve the quality of services provided to children and young people. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/the-roles-of-the-nominated-individual-responsible-individual/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260924T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260924T130000
DTSTAMP:20260812T184550Z
CREATED:20260812T184546Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260812T184550Z
UID:5831-1790244000-1790254800@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Effective Pathway Planning
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nEffective Pathway Planning is essential to helping young people prepare for adulthood and make a successful transition from care towards greater independence. A strong Pathway Plan should be more than a statutory document or administrative exercise; it should provide a meaningful\, evolving framework that reflects the young person’s needs\, strengths\, aspirations\, relationships\, risks\, and goals for the future. \n\n\n\nThis practical course explores how professionals can develop and implement person-centred\, realistic\, and outcome-focused Pathway Plans that actively support young people’s progress. Participants will consider how to move from process-driven planning towards a dynamic and relational approach in which young people are meaningfully involved in decisions about their lives. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 24th September\, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £54 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £74 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThe session focuses particularly on ensuring that Pathway Plans remain relevant in practice\, connect with other assessments and plans\, and provide a clear framework for supporting young people as their circumstances\, abilities\, aspirations\, and support needs evolve. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course explores the purpose\, development\, implementation\, and review of effective Pathway Plans for young people preparing for adulthood and care leavers. \n\n\n\nKey areas include: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstanding the purpose of Pathway Planning.\n\n\n\nLegal and professional responsibilities within the Pathway Planning process.\n\n\n\nDeveloping person-centred rather than process-driven plans.\n\n\n\nMeaningfully capturing the young person’s voice\, identity\, wishes\, and aspirations.\n\n\n\nAssessing strengths\, needs\, risks\, and areas requiring further development.\n\n\n\nSetting realistic\, individualised\, and outcome-focused goals.\n\n\n\nPlanning for education\, training\, and employment.\n\n\n\nSupporting health and emotional wellbeing.\n\n\n\nRelationships\, family\, social networks\, and community connections.\n\n\n\nAccommodation and preparation for independent living.\n\n\n\nDeveloping practical independence and life skills.\n\n\n\nFinancial capability and preparation for adulthood.\n\n\n\nLinking Pathway Plans with risk assessments\, care/support plans\, and other relevant planning.\n\n\n\nReviewing plans as circumstances and needs change.\n\n\n\nIdentifying common weaknesses in Pathway Planning and how these can be improved.\n\n\n\n\nThe course emphasises the importance of seeing the Pathway Plan as part of the young person’s journey rather than as an isolated document. \n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThroughout the session\, participants will explore how to translate Pathway Planning requirements into meaningful work with young people. \n\n\n\nThrough practical examples\, scenarios\, and discussion\, participants will consider how to: \n\n\n\n\nEngage young people meaningfully in developing and reviewing their Pathway Plan.\n\n\n\nTranslate aspirations into realistic goals and practical actions.\n\n\n\nIdentify what progress towards independence actually looks like for an individual young person.\n\n\n\nDevelop actions that clearly identify responsibilities and timescales.\n\n\n\nConnect key working and direct work with Pathway Plan outcomes.\n\n\n\nUse everyday experiences as opportunities to develop independence.\n\n\n\nRecognise when expectations of independence need to be adapted to a young person’s needs and circumstances.\n\n\n\nConnect Pathway Planning with risk management and safeguarding.\n\n\n\nRecord progress\, barriers\, and changes meaningfully.\n\n\n\nReview plans when needs\, risks\, circumstances\, or aspirations change.\n\n\n\nUse the Pathway Plan to support continuity during transitions between services and into adulthood.\n\n\n\n\nThe emphasis is on ensuring that the plan influences the support a young person actually receives rather than becoming paperwork that is periodically reviewed but has little impact on everyday practice. \n\n\n\nRegulatory and Professional Context\n\n\n\nPathway Planning sits within the statutory framework for supporting eligible\, relevant\, and former relevant children and care leavers as they prepare for and transition into adulthood. \n\n\n\nThe course considers the legal and professional expectations surrounding Pathway Plans\, including the responsibilities of local authorities\, Social Workers\, Personal Advisers\, and other professionals contributing to the young person’s support. \n\n\n\nFor providers supporting looked after children and care leavers\, particularly within Supported Accommodation and Children’s Homes\, the session considers how the provider’s own support\, risk assessment\, key working\, and independence planning should connect with the young person’s statutory Pathway Plan. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider the importance of effective partnership working and information sharing between young people\, local authorities\, providers\, education and health professionals\, families\, and other relevant agencies. \n\n\n\nThe course also explores how effective Pathway Planning supports wider expectations around safeguarding\, participation\, preparation for adulthood\, stability\, progress\, and positive outcomes. \n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants will be able to: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstand the purpose and importance of effective Pathway Planning.\n\n\n\nUnderstand key legal and professional responsibilities within the Pathway Planning process.\n\n\n\nDevelop person-centred and outcome-focused approaches to planning.\n\n\n\nMeaningfully involve young people in developing and reviewing their plans.\n\n\n\nCapture young people’s strengths\, needs\, identity\, wishes\, and aspirations.\n\n\n\nDevelop realistic goals\, actions\, responsibilities\, and timescales.\n\n\n\nConnect Pathway Plans with risk assessments\, care/support plans\, key working\, and independence development.\n\n\n\nUse planning to support progress across education\, employment\, health\, relationships\, accommodation\, and independent living.\n\n\n\nRecognise common weaknesses in Pathway Plans and identify opportunities for improvement.\n\n\n\nUse review processes to respond to changes in circumstances\, progress\, risks\, and needs.\n\n\n\nUnderstand how effective Pathway Planning can support positive and sustainable transitions into adulthood.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is suitable for professionals involved in supporting young people preparing for independence or contributing to the development\, implementation\, or review of Pathway Plans. \n\n\n\nIt is particularly relevant for Personal Advisers\, Social Workers\, Key Workers\, Supported Accommodation Practitioners\, Residential Childcare Practitioners\, Team Leaders\, Deputy Managers\, Registered Managers\, Service Managers\, and other professionals supporting looked after children and care leavers. \n\n\n\nThe course will also benefit professionals responsible for overseeing the quality of support and ensuring that young people’s day-to-day interventions remain connected to their wider plans\, aspirations\, and intended outcomes. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nPravina Patel is a senior leader in children’s social care with more than 20 years of experience across children’s residential care\, Supported Accommodation\, safeguarding leadership\, and education services. \n\n\n\nShe has extensive experience in regulatory compliance\, Ofsted registration\, and leading multi-site services supporting young people with complex needs. Pravina is particularly experienced in trauma-informed practice\, contextual safeguarding\, and strengthening governance systems that promote safe and high-quality services. \n\n\n\nHer extensive experience supporting young people within residential and Supported Accommodation services provides a strong practical foundation for this course. Pravina brings a focus on ensuring that planning translates into purposeful everyday support\, meaningful preparation for independence\, and positive outcomes for young people. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/effective-pathway-planning/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260925T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260925T130000
DTSTAMP:20260903T100719Z
CREATED:20260903T100713Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T100719Z
UID:5917-1790330400-1790341200@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Balancing Safety\, Rights and Freedom in Children's Social Care
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nProfessionals working with children and young people are often required to make difficult decisions that balance safety\, wellbeing\, individual rights\, and personal freedom. In some circumstances\, restrictions may be necessary to protect a child or young person from harm. However\, when those restrictions amount to a deprivation of liberty\, practitioners and organisations must ensure that their actions are lawful\, proportionate\, necessary\, and subject to appropriate oversight. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 25 September\, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £54 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £74 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThis practical and thought-provoking seminar explores the legal\, ethical\, and practice considerations associated with Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) within children’s social care. Participants will develop a clear understanding of the legal framework\, the circumstances in which deprivation of liberty may arise\, and the responsibilities placed upon professionals and organisations. The course focuses on promoting rights-based practice that protects children and young people while supporting their development\, independence\, and long-term wellbeing. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThis course explores the concept of deprivation of liberty and examines how restrictions on a child’s freedom can arise within care and support arrangements. Participants will develop an understanding of the legal definitions\, principles\, and thresholds that determine when restrictions move beyond ordinary care and supervision and become a deprivation of liberty requiring legal authorisation. \n\n\n\nThe seminar examines the legal and practice frameworks that govern deprivation of liberty arrangements and explores how professionals can ensure that restrictions are necessary\, proportionate\, and responsive to identified risks. Participants will consider how safeguarding responsibilities\, risk management\, and human rights principles interact when making decisions about supervision\, movement\, contact\, access to the community\, and other aspects of daily life. \n\n\n\nParticular attention will be given to care planning and reviewing arrangements that involve restrictions on liberty. Participants will explore how to evidence necessity and proportionality\, identify less restrictive alternatives\, and develop plans that support progress\, independence\, and positive outcomes. The course encourages practitioners to move beyond risk avoidance and instead focus on balancing protection with opportunities for growth\, participation\, and development. \n\n\n\nThe session also examines the roles and responsibilities of care providers\, local authorities\, social workers\, managers\, and other professionals involved in deprivation of liberty arrangements. Through practical examples\, case studies\, and reflective discussion\, participants will explore complex real-world situations and develop confidence in applying legal principles within everyday practice. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of this course\, participants will be able to: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstand the legal definition and principles of deprivation of liberty.\n\n\n\nRecognise situations where restrictions on liberty may require legal authorisation.\n\n\n\nApply principles of necessity\, proportionality\, and least restrictive practice when supporting children and young people.\n\n\n\nUnderstand the legal responsibilities of providers\, local authorities\, and other professionals involved in deprivation of liberty arrangements.\n\n\n\nIdentify how deprivation of liberty considerations should be reflected within care planning\, risk assessment\, and safeguarding processes.\n\n\n\nDevelop approaches that balance safety\, rights\, freedom\, and positive risk-taking.\n\n\n\nEvaluate restrictive practices and identify opportunities to reduce restrictions over time.\n\n\n\nApply learning to complex real-life situations through case analysis and reflective practice.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is designed for professionals working with children and young people whose care arrangements may involve restrictions on liberty or enhanced supervision. It will be particularly relevant for Social Workers\, Residential Childcare Practitioners\, Supported Accommodation Staff\, Foster Carers\, Supervising Social Workers\, Team Leaders\, Deputy Managers\, Registered Managers\, Responsible Individuals\, Nominated Individuals\, Independent Reviewing Officers\, Local Authority Practitioners\, and other professionals involved in safeguarding\, care planning\, risk management\, and supporting children and young people with complex needs. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nStuart Donohue is a registered Social Worker with more than 15 years of experience across child protection\, court work\, frontline social work\, and safeguarding practice. Throughout his career\, he has worked for a range of local authorities\, Cafcass\, and independent social work services\, as well as holding management responsibilities within children’s services. \n\n\n\nOver the last decade\, Stuart has developed a particular specialism in supporting children and young adults with disabilities who are deprived of their liberty. His experience ranges from working with children requiring enhanced supervision and restrictive interventions to safeguard them from significant risks\, through to supporting young adults who lack capacity to consent to aspects of their care and support arrangements. \n\n\n\nStuart is passionate about promoting lawful\, proportionate\, and rights-based approaches to deprivation of liberty. His work focuses on helping professionals develop care plans that effectively balance safety\, wellbeing\, autonomy\, and individual rights while ensuring that restrictions are continually reviewed and reduced wherever possible. His training combines legal knowledge\, practical experience\, and reflective discussion to support professionals in navigating one of the most complex areas of children’s social care practice. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/balancing-safety-rights-and-freedom-in-childrens-social-care-2/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20260929T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20260929T160000
DTSTAMP:20260812T185040Z
CREATED:20260812T185036Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260812T185040Z
UID:5837-1790676000-1790697600@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Quality Assurance in Children's Residential Settings: Driving Improvement Through Effective Monitoring
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nEffective quality assurance should do more than confirm whether policies\, records\, and procedures are in place. Its purpose is to help organisations understand the quality of practice\, identify emerging concerns\, recognise what is working well\, and use evidence to improve the experiences and outcomes of children and young people. \n\n\n\nThis practical course explores how providers and leaders can develop meaningful quality assurance systems across children’s social care. Participants will consider how audits\, monitoring\, feedback\, incidents\, complaints\, supervision\, performance information\, and other sources of evidence can be brought together to provide a realistic picture of service quality. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 29th September\, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £104 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £134 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThe session moves beyond compliance-focused auditing and considers how quality assurance can become an active part of leadership\, safeguarding\, governance\, and continuous service improvement. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course explores the principles and practical components of effective quality assurance within children’s social care. \n\n\n\nKey areas include: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstanding the purpose of quality assurance.\n\n\n\nMoving from compliance checking to evaluating quality and impact.\n\n\n\nDeveloping effective quality assurance frameworks.\n\n\n\nIdentifying what should be monitored and how frequently.\n\n\n\nUsing quantitative and qualitative information together.\n\n\n\nAuditing records and evaluating the quality of practice.\n\n\n\nMonitoring safeguarding concerns\, incidents\, complaints\, missing episodes\, allegations\, and other significant events.\n\n\n\nReviewing care/support planning\, risk assessments\, and direct work.\n\n\n\nUsing supervision and workforce information as indicators of service quality.\n\n\n\nIncorporating children’s\, young people’s\, families’\, carers’\, and professionals’ feedback.\n\n\n\nIdentifying patterns\, trends\, recurring concerns\, and areas of strength.\n\n\n\nDeveloping meaningful action and improvement plans.\n\n\n\nMonitoring whether identified actions actually result in improvement.\n\n\n\nEvidencing the impact of leadership and management.\n\n\n\n\nThe course also explores the risks of overly bureaucratic quality assurance systems that generate large amounts of information without resulting in meaningful learning or change. \n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nParticipants will consider how to develop quality assurance systems that are proportionate\, purposeful\, and useful to managers and providers. \n\n\n\nThrough practical examples\, scenarios\, and discussion\, participants will explore how to: \n\n\n\n\nDecide what information should form part of a quality assurance framework.\n\n\n\nDevelop effective audit and monitoring processes.\n\n\n\nEvaluate the quality of practice rather than simply whether documentation exists.\n\n\n\nIdentify patterns across incidents\, safeguarding concerns\, complaints\, and other information.\n\n\n\nUse management information to identify emerging risks.\n\n\n\nConnect individual case auditing with wider service-level learning.\n\n\n\nIncorporate children’s and young people’s experiences into quality assurance.\n\n\n\nDevelop clear and measurable improvement actions.\n\n\n\nAllocate responsibility and timescales for improvement.\n\n\n\nTrack whether actions have been completed and\, importantly\, whether they have made a difference.\n\n\n\nUse quality assurance findings within supervision\, team development\, workforce planning\, and service improvement.\n\n\n\nPresent evidence of monitoring and improvement clearly to senior leaders\, regulators\, and inspectors.\n\n\n\n\nThe emphasis throughout is on creating a cycle of monitoring\, analysis\, action\, review\, and improvement\, rather than quality assurance becoming an isolated administrative exercise. \n\n\n\nRegulatory and Professional Context\n\n\n\nQuality assurance is a central element of effective leadership and governance across regulated children’s social care. \n\n\n\nThe course considers relevant regulatory and professional expectations across Children’s Homes\, Supported Accommodation\, and Fostering Services\, recognising that each setting has its own requirements for monitoring\, review\, oversight\, and reporting. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider how internal quality assurance interacts with formal regulatory monitoring and review arrangements\, including relevant requirements for reviewing the quality of care or support and independent or organisational oversight. \n\n\n\nThe session also explores Ofsted expectations regarding leadership and management\, safeguarding\, children’s experiences and progress\, workforce development\, organisational learning\, and the ability of providers to identify and address weaknesses within their own services. \n\n\n\nParticular attention is given to demonstrating not simply that monitoring takes place\, but that leaders understand their services\, respond to evidence\, challenge poor practice\, recognise strengths\, and can demonstrate improvement over time. \n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants will be able to: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstand the purpose of quality assurance within children’s social care.\n\n\n\nDistinguish between monitoring compliance and evaluating the quality and impact of practice.\n\n\n\nIdentify appropriate sources of quantitative and qualitative quality assurance information.\n\n\n\nDevelop proportionate systems for auditing and monitoring service quality.\n\n\n\nEvaluate practice through case records\, risk assessments\, plans\, incidents\, and other evidence.\n\n\n\nIdentify patterns\, trends\, emerging risks\, and areas of strength.\n\n\n\nIncorporate children’s and young people’s experiences and feedback into quality assurance.\n\n\n\nDevelop meaningful and measurable service improvement actions.\n\n\n\nMonitor whether improvement actions have resulted in positive change.\n\n\n\nConnect quality assurance with safeguarding\, supervision\, workforce development\, and organisational learning.\n\n\n\nDemonstrate effective leadership\, oversight\, and continuous improvement to regulators and inspectors.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is suitable for professionals responsible for monitoring\, evaluating\, overseeing\, or improving the quality of children’s social care services. It is particularly relevant for Registered Managers\, Responsible Individuals\, Nominated Individuals\, Fostering Managers\, Service Managers\, Deputy Managers\, Team Leaders\, Quality Assurance professionals\, Directors\, senior leaders\, and professionals responsible for audit\, compliance\, governance\, or service improvement. \n\n\n\nThe course is relevant across Children’s Homes\, Supported Accommodation\, Fostering Services\, and other children’s social care services where systematic monitoring and continuous improvement form part of effective leadership and governance. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nMiguel Valerio is a Social Worker\, trainer\, consultant\, and children’s social care specialist with more than 20 years of professional experience across social work\, education\, service management\, leadership\, and service development. \n\n\n\nMiguel has extensive experience of quality assurance and regulatory oversight within children’s social care. He has worked as a Responsible Individual for Children’s Homes and a Registered Service Manager for Supported Accommodation\, alongside holding wider operational leadership responsibilities across regulated services. \n\n\n\nHis leadership roles have included responsibility for safeguarding oversight\, audits\, regulatory compliance\, incident review\, risk management\, workforce development\, service monitoring\, action planning\, and continuous improvement. He has practical experience of using quality assurance information to identify concerns\, support managers\, strengthen practice\, and prepare services for regulatory inspection. \n\n\n\nThrough Social Care Skills\, Miguel provides training\, consultancy\, audits\, regulatory support\, and service development to children’s social care providers. His approach to quality assurance focuses on moving beyond checking whether services are compliant towards understanding what the evidence tells us\, what needs to change\, and whether those changes actually improve practice and outcomes. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/quality-assurance-in-childrens-residential-settings-driving-improvement-through-effective-monitoring/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261001T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261001T160000
DTSTAMP:20260903T104214Z
CREATED:20260903T104210Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T104214Z
UID:5925-1790848800-1790870400@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Life Story Work: Helping Children Understand Their Journey
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nLife story work can play an important role in helping children and young people understand their experiences\, relationships\, identity and personal history. For children who are looked after\, have experienced changes in carers or placements\, or have lived through difficult and sometimes traumatic experiences\, understanding their own story can be particularly important. \n\n\n\nHowever\, effective life story work is much more than creating a book\, collecting photographs or developing a timeline of significant events. It is an ongoing and sensitive process that can help children make sense of what has happened to them\, explore important relationships\, understand decisions that have affected their lives and develop a stronger and more coherent sense of identity. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 1st October\, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £94 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £74 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThis full-day course explores how professionals can undertake life story work in a thoughtful\, child-centred and trauma-informed way. It considers both planned life story activities and the everyday opportunities practitioners have to help children understand and talk about their experiences. \n\n\n\nThe course recognises that life stories can contain loss\, separation\, uncertainty\, trauma and difficult information. Practitioners therefore need the confidence and skills to work sensitively\, honestly and at a pace appropriate to the individual child. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course explores the purpose and value of life story work and how it can contribute to a child or young person’s identity\, emotional wellbeing and understanding of their experiences. Participants will consider how life story work can be adapted according to age\, developmental stage\, communication needs and individual circumstances. \n\n\n\nAttention will be given to gathering and organising information\, exploring significant people and relationships\, understanding family history\, placements and transitions\, and helping children make connections between past experiences and their current lives. The course will consider the use of photographs\, timelines\, memory boxes\, documents\, creative activities\, conversations and other approaches to building and exploring a young person’s story. \n\n\n\nParticipants will also consider some of the more challenging aspects of life story work\, including how to approach difficult or incomplete information\, separation and loss\, family relationships\, traumatic experiences and conflicting accounts of events. The importance of avoiding assumptions\, judgemental language and adult interpretations of a child’s experiences will be explored. \n\n\n\nThe course will also examine how professionals can support children to maintain connections with their culture\, heritage\, community and significant relationships as important elements of identity and belonging. \n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThroughout the course\, participants will be encouraged to consider how life story work can become part of meaningful everyday practice rather than an isolated activity completed at a particular point in a child’s life. \n\n\n\nThe session will explore how practitioners can create safe opportunities for children to ask questions\, revisit experiences and express their own understanding of events. Participants will consider how to respond when children disclose difficult experiences or challenge the explanations they have previously been given. \n\n\n\nThere will also be a focus on recording and preserving important information for the future. Professionals will consider what information a child may want or need later in life and how decisions made today can affect their ability to understand their history as they grow older. \n\n\n\nThe emphasis throughout is on ensuring that the child remains an active participant in their own life story rather than simply the subject of a story constructed by adults. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nRegulatory and Professional Context\n\n\n\nLife story work sits within wider expectations that children receiving social care should be supported to understand their identity\, experiences\, relationships and personal history and should be meaningfully involved in decisions affecting their lives. \n\n\n\nFor children living in children’s homes\, this connects with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and associated Quality Standards\, particularly expectations relating to children’s wishes and feelings\, positive relationships\, health and wellbeing\, and the quality and purpose of care. \n\n\n\nWithin fostering\, life story work also connects with the Fostering Services (England) Regulations 2011 and National Minimum Standards\, including expectations concerning identity\, individualised care\, relationships\, family contact and the preservation of important information about a child’s life. \n\n\n\nThe course also reflects wider principles within care planning and safeguarding practice\, including child-centred working\, participation\, trauma-informed approaches and the importance of recognising identity\, culture\, relationships and belonging when supporting children and young people. \n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants should be able to: \n\n\n\n\nExplain the purpose and potential benefits of effective life story work.\n\n\n\nRecognise the relationship between life story work\, identity\, belonging and emotional wellbeing.\n\n\n\nDistinguish meaningful life story work from simply producing a life story book.\n\n\n\nIdentify different methods and activities that can be used to explore a child’s experiences and history.\n\n\n\nAdapt life story work according to a child’s age\, development\, communication and individual needs.\n\n\n\nApproach sensitive\, traumatic\, incomplete or conflicting information appropriately.\n\n\n\nSupport children to explore important relationships\, family history\, culture and heritage.\n\n\n\nUse language that is respectful\, understandable and appropriate to the individual child.\n\n\n\nRecognise everyday opportunities for life story work within relationships and direct practice.\n\n\n\nSupport children to participate actively in developing and understanding their own story.\n\n\n\nConsider how important information and memories can be preserved for children as they move through care and into adulthood.\n\n\n\nApply reflective and trauma-informed principles when undertaking life story work.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is suitable for professionals working directly or indirectly with children and young people across children’s social care\, including residential childcare practitioners\, children’s home managers and deputy managers\, foster carers and fostering professionals\, social workers\, personal advisers\, key workers\, supported accommodation practitioners and managers\, and other professionals involved in helping children and young people understand their experiences\, relationships and identity. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nYvette Powell is a Social Worker\, an experienced social care professional and trainer with extensive knowledge of working with children\, young people\, families and professionals across children’s services. \n\n\n\nHer practice and training experience includes life story work\, reflective practice\, supervision\, safeguarding and supporting professionals to develop thoughtful\, relationship-based approaches to their work with children and young people. \n\n\n\nYvette brings a reflective and practice-focused approach to training\, encouraging participants to consider not only the tools and techniques used in life story work\, but also the quality of the relationships\, conversations and professional judgement that make the work meaningful for individual children. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/life-story-work-helping-children-understand-their-journey/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261006T140000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261006T170000
DTSTAMP:20260903T104907Z
CREATED:20260903T104829Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T104907Z
UID:5937-1791295200-1791306000@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Matching Assessments for Safe and Suitable Placements
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nMatching children and young people to the right placement is one of the most important decisions made across children’s social care. Whether within a children’s home\, fostering service\, or supported accommodation setting\, effective matching helps ensure that children receive support in environments that can meet their needs\, manage risks\, promote stability\, and support positive outcomes. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 6th October\, 2:00 pM – 5:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £54 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £74 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThis practical and regulatory-informed seminar explores how to complete robust matching assessments that support safe\, suitable\, and sustainable placements. Participants will examine the factors that should inform placement decisions across different care settings and learn how to evidence professional judgement through structured\, child-centred assessments. The course focuses on reducing risk\, promoting wellbeing\, and ensuring placement decisions are defensible\, transparent\, and aligned with safeguarding and regulatory expectations. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThis course explores the purpose and importance of matching assessments across children’s homes\, fostering services\, and supported accommodation settings. Participants will examine how effective matching contributes to safeguarding\, placement stability\, positive relationships\, emotional wellbeing\, and improved outcomes for children and young people. The session highlights the potential consequences of poor matching decisions\, including placement disruption\, increased safeguarding concerns\, emotional distress\, and negative impacts on both incoming and existing children and young people. \n\n\n\nThe seminar considers the key factors that should be assessed before a placement is agreed. Participants will explore how to evaluate individual needs\, vulnerabilities\, risks\, behaviours\, developmental considerations\, support requirements\, family circumstances\, and aspirations. The course also examines the importance of assessing the suitability of the placement environment\, including the skills and experience of carers or staff\, the service ethos\, local risks\, available resources\, and the capacity of the setting to meet identified needs. \n\n\n\nParticular attention will be given to understanding compatibility and group dynamics. Participants will explore how to assess the potential impact of a new admission on existing children and young people\, balancing opportunities for positive peer relationships with the need to manage risk. The concept of impact assessments will be explored in detail\, helping participants evidence how placement decisions have been reached and how potential concerns have been considered and mitigated. \n\n\n\nThe session also examines the role of professional curiosity\, multi-agency information sharing\, care planning\, support planning\, and risk assessment within the matching process. Participants will review practical tools and approaches that can support decision-making and strengthen the quality of documentation\, ensuring that matching assessments are comprehensive\, evidence-based\, and capable of withstanding scrutiny from commissioners\, regulators\, and safeguarding agencies. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of this course\, participants will be able to: \n\n\n\n\nExplain the purpose and importance of matching assessments within children’s social care.\n\n\n\nUnderstand the legal\, regulatory\, and safeguarding expectations associated with placement matching.\n\n\n\nAssess the suitability of placements by considering individual needs\, vulnerabilities\, strengths\, and risks.\n\n\n\nEvaluate environmental factors that may affect placement success\, safety\, and stability.\n\n\n\nAnalyse compatibility and group dynamics within children’s homes\, fostering services\, and supported accommodation settings.\n\n\n\nComplete impact assessments that evidence how placement decisions have been reached.\n\n\n\nIntegrate matching assessments with wider care planning\, support planning\, and risk management processes.\n\n\n\nProduce clear\, defensible documentation that demonstrates professional judgement and supports regulatory compliance.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is designed for professionals involved in placement decision-making\, admissions\, care planning\, and service management across children’s social care. It will be particularly relevant for Registered Managers\, Responsible Individuals\, Nominated Individuals\, Deputy Managers\, Supervising Social Workers\, Foster Carers\, Team Leaders\, Residential Childcare Practitioners\, Supported Accommodation Staff\, Social Workers\, Placement Officers\, Commissioners\, and other professionals responsible for assessing placement suitability and supporting positive outcomes for children and young people. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nMiguel Valerio is a Social Worker\, trainer\, consultant\, and regulatory specialist with more than 20 years of professional experience across children’s social care\, education\, leadership\, and service development. His career has included roles in research and higher education\, alongside extensive operational and strategic leadership within children’s homes and supported accommodation services. \n\n\n\nMiguel has worked as a Responsible Individual for Children’s Homes and a Registered Service Manager for Supported Accommodation\, where he was responsible for overseeing admissions\, placement decisions\, safeguarding arrangements\, regulatory compliance\, and quality assurance processes. Throughout his career\, he has supported services to improve placement stability\, strengthen safeguarding arrangements\, and develop robust assessment and decision-making frameworks. \n\n\n\nThrough Social Care Skills\, Miguel provides training\, consultancy\, audits\, and regulatory support to providers across the sector. His practical experience of assessing referrals\, managing placement risks\, supporting fostering\, residential\, and supported accommodation services\, and guiding organisations through inspection and regulatory processes provides participants with valuable insight into achieving safe\, suitable\, and sustainable placements for children and young people. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/matching-assessments-for-safe-and-suitable-placements/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261008T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261008T160000
DTSTAMP:20260903T105705Z
CREATED:20260903T105701Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T105705Z
UID:5942-1791453600-1791475200@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Care Planning in Children’s Social Care: From Assessment to Outcomes
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nEffective care planning is central to good practice in children’s social care. A good plan should provide much more than a record of identified needs or a list of tasks for professionals to complete. It should create a clear connection between what we know about a child or young person\, what they need\, what we are trying to achieve and how support will contribute to meaningful change. \n\n\n\nThis course explores the complete care planning journey: Assessment → Need → Outcome → Plan → Intervention → Review → Progress \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 8th October\, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £94 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £104 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nParticipants will consider how information gathered through assessment can be translated into purposeful\, individualised plans that guide everyday practice and remain focused on the experiences and outcomes of children and young people. \n\n\n\nThe course places particular emphasis on avoiding generic or task-led planning. Instead\, practitioners will explore how plans can identify meaningful outcomes\, establish clear interventions\, incorporate the child’s views and provide a framework for evaluating whether the support being provided is actually making a difference. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course begins by exploring the relationship between assessment and planning. Participants will consider how information about strengths\, needs\, risks\, experiences\, relationships\, identity and aspirations can be analysed and used to establish meaningful priorities rather than simply transferred from an assessment into a plan. \n\n\n\nA key focus will be the difference between needs\, outcomes\, actions and interventions. Participants will explore how poorly defined outcomes can lead to plans that describe activity without explaining what should change for the child. The course will consider how to develop outcomes that are meaningful\, realistic\, measurable and understandable to the child or young person. \n\n\n\nThe course will examine the role of children and young people in planning their own care and support\, including how professionals can ensure that wishes\, feelings\, aspirations and individual perspectives influence both the plan and the way support is delivered. \n\n\n\nParticipants will also consider how plans should address risk and safeguarding without becoming dominated by risk management. Attention will be given to strengths\, relationships\, education\, health and wellbeing\, identity\, independence\, family and social connections\, and other areas relevant to the individual child. \n\n\n\nThe course will explore the relationship between the plan and everyday interventions. Participants will consider how key work\, direct work\, routines\, activities\, professional support and multi-agency interventions should connect back to identified needs and agreed outcomes. \n\n\n\nFinally\, the course will examine review and evaluation. Participants will explore how to determine whether interventions are effective\, recognise evidence of progress\, respond when outcomes are not being achieved and ensure plans remain current as circumstances and needs change. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThroughout the course\, participants will work with the principle that effective planning should answer a series of straightforward but important questions: \n\n\n\n\nWhat do we know?\n\n\n\nWhat does the child need?\n\n\n\nWhat are we trying to achieve?\n\n\n\nWhat are we going to do?\n\n\n\nWho is responsible?\n\n\n\nHow will we know whether it is working?\n\n\n\n\nParticipants will consider examples of plans that are overly generic\, descriptive or task-focused and explore how these can be strengthened through clearer analysis\, outcomes and interventions. \n\n\n\nThe course will also consider how care and support plans should influence everyday practice. Staff should be able to understand from a plan not only what they are expected to do\, but why they are doing it and what difference the intervention is intended to make. \n\n\n\nParticular attention will be given to reviewing progress. Participants will explore how observations\, key-work records\, incidents\, achievements\, feedback\, professional reports and the child’s own views can contribute to understanding change over time. \n\n\n\nThe overall emphasis is on creating a visible connection between assessment\, planning\, practice and outcomes. \n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants should be able to: \n\n\n\n\nExplain the relationship between assessment\, planning\, intervention\, review and outcomes.\n\n\n\nIdentify relevant strengths\, needs\, risks and priorities from assessment information.\n\n\n\nDistinguish between needs\, outcomes\, actions and interventions.\n\n\n\nDevelop meaningful and measurable outcomes for children and young people.\n\n\n\nAvoid generic\, task-led or overly procedural care and support plans.\n\n\n\nEnsure children’s wishes\, feelings and aspirations meaningfully influence planning.\n\n\n\nBalance safeguarding and risk management with strengths\, development and positive opportunities.\n\n\n\nConnect everyday practice and direct interventions to identified needs and agreed outcomes.\n\n\n\nClarify responsibilities for delivering different elements of a plan.\n\n\n\nUse evidence from practice to evaluate progress and the effectiveness of interventions.\n\n\n\nRecognise when a plan or intervention needs to change.\n\n\n\nStrengthen the connection between care planning\, recording and evidence of impact.\n\n\n\nApply child-centred and outcomes-focused principles to care and support planning.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is suitable for professionals involved in assessing\, planning\, delivering or reviewing care and support for children and young people. This includes residential childcare practitioners\, children’s home managers and deputy managers\, social workers\, foster carers and fostering professionals\, supported accommodation practitioners and managers\, key workers\, personal advisers and other professionals responsible for ensuring that assessment information is translated into purposeful and effective support. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nPravina Patel is an experienced social care professional\, consultant and trainer with extensive knowledge of working with children and young people across children’s services. \n\n\n\nHer professional and training experience includes care planning\, pathway planning\, preparing young people for adulthood\, missing-from-care practice and supporting professionals to develop purposeful\, child-centred approaches to assessment\, planning and intervention. \n\n\n\nPravina brings a practical and reflective approach to training\, helping participants move beyond completing plans as administrative requirements and instead consider how assessment\, planning and everyday practice can work together to achieve meaningful outcomes for children and young people. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/care-planning-in-childrens-social-care-from-assessment-to-outcomes/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261013T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261013T130000
DTSTAMP:20260903T110523Z
CREATED:20260903T110519Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T110523Z
UID:5950-1791885600-1791896400@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Cultural Competency in Social Care: Working Effectively Across Cultures
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nChildren’s social care professionals work with children\, young people and families whose cultures\, beliefs\, values\, traditions and experiences may be very different from their own. \n\n\n\nDeveloping cultural competency is not simply about learning facts about different cultures\, nor is it the same as Equality\, Diversity and Inclusion training. It requires professionals to recognise how culture can influence identity\, communication\, relationships\, behaviour\, expectations and experiences\, while also recognising the influence of their own cultural background and assumptions on professional practice. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 13th October\, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £54 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £74 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThis practical course explores how professionals can work effectively and respectfully across cultures without relying on stereotypes or making assumptions about individuals based on their cultural background. \n\n\n\nA central theme throughout the course is cultural curiosity and cultural humility: having the confidence to ask appropriate questions\, listen to individual experiences and recognise that no practitioner can be an expert in every culture. \n\n\n\nThe course also considers one of the most challenging areas of culturally responsive practice: how professionals can respect cultural differences while maintaining professional curiosity\, safeguarding responsibilities and a clear focus on the individual needs and rights of the child. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course begins by exploring what we mean by culture and cultural competency and how culture can influence the way people understand family\, childhood\, relationships\, authority\, communication\, behaviour\, independence\, identity and support. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider how their own experiences\, values and cultural perspectives can influence professional judgement. The course will explore cultural assumptions and bias\, including the risk of interpreting behaviour exclusively through our own cultural expectations. \n\n\n\nAttention will be given to communication across cultures\, including differences in verbal and non-verbal communication\, expectations around authority and respect\, language barriers and the importance of asking rather than assuming. \n\n\n\nThe course will explore identity and belonging\, including the significance that family\, community\, ethnicity\, nationality\, language\, religion\, faith\, traditions\, food\, clothing\, hair and other aspects of cultural identity can have for children and young people. \n\n\n\nParticipants will also consider the particular experience of children living away from their families or communities and the role that social care professionals can play in helping children maintain meaningful connections with their culture and heritage. \n\n\n\nAn important part of the course will examine the relationship between culture and safeguarding. Participants will explore how professionals can distinguish cultural difference from potential harm\, avoid stereotyping and discriminatory assumptions\, and equally avoid allowing concerns about appearing culturally insensitive to prevent appropriate professional challenge or safeguarding action. \n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThe course is designed to encourage participants to translate cultural awareness into everyday professional practice. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider how cultural information should inform assessment\, care and support planning\, matching\, key working\, communication and relationship-building. \n\n\n\nPractical scenarios will encourage participants to consider how they might respond when their own values or expectations differ from those of a child\, young person or family. \n\n\n\nThe course will explore how professionals can ask culturally sensitive questions without making assumptions\, respond appropriately when they do not understand a particular cultural practice and identify when additional information or specialist advice may be needed. \n\n\n\nParticipants will also consider how organisations can create environments where children and young people feel that their identity and cultural experiences are understood\, respected and represented. \n\n\n\nThroughout the session\, the emphasis will be on moving from simply being aware of difference towards developing practice that is curious\, reflective\, respectful and responsive. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants should be able to: \n\n\n\n\nExplain the meaning of culture\, cultural competency and cultural humility.\n\n\n\nRecognise the difference between cultural competency and general Equality\, Diversity and Inclusion training.\n\n\n\nUnderstand how culture can influence identity\, communication\, relationships\, behaviour and expectations.\n\n\n\nRecognise how their own cultural experiences\, values and assumptions can influence professional judgement.\n\n\n\nIdentify the risks associated with cultural stereotypes and assumptions.\n\n\n\nUse culturally curious and respectful approaches when communicating with children\, young people and families.\n\n\n\nConsider cultural identity and belonging within assessment\, planning and everyday support.\n\n\n\nSupport children and young people to maintain meaningful connections with culture\, heritage and community.\n\n\n\nRecognise the importance of individual experiences within cultural groups rather than assuming that culture determines behaviour.\n\n\n\nExplore cultural differences without avoiding appropriate professional challenge.\n\n\n\nDistinguish between cultural difference and potential safeguarding concerns.\n\n\n\nApply culturally responsive approaches to everyday social care practice.\n\n\n\nReflect on how services can create more culturally responsive environments for children and young people.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is suitable for professionals working across children’s social care\, including residential childcare practitioners\, children’s home managers and deputy managers\, supported accommodation practitioners and managers\, foster carers and fostering professionals\, social workers\, personal advisers\, key workers and other professionals working directly or indirectly with children\, young people and families from diverse cultural backgrounds. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nMiguel Valerio is an experienced social worker\, trainer\, consultant and social care leader with more than 20 years of professional experience across social care\, education and professional development. \n\n\n\nHis experience includes operational and strategic leadership across children’s homes and supported accommodation\, including roles as Service Manager\, Operational Manager\, Responsible Individual and Registered Service Manager. He also has extensive experience supporting providers with service development\, regulatory compliance\, quality assurance and professional development. \n\n\n\nAlongside his practice and leadership experience in the UK\, Miguel brings an international and cross-cultural perspective developed through his professional and academic experience in different social and educational contexts. \n\n\n\nHis training approach combines professional knowledge with practical experience and reflective discussion\, encouraging participants to question assumptions\, explore different perspectives and consider how learning can be translated into meaningful everyday practice. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/cultural-competency-in-social-care-working-effectively-across-cultures/
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261020T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261020T160000
DTSTAMP:20260903T112708Z
CREATED:20260903T112704Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T112708Z
UID:5962-1792490400-1792512000@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Children’s Homes Inspection Framework: Preparing for Inspection
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nOfsted inspection is an important part of the regulatory oversight of children’s homes\, but effective preparation should not begin when an inspector contacts the home. \n\n\n\nA well-managed children’s home should be able to demonstrate the quality of its practice\, the experiences of children and the difference the service is making as part of its everyday operation. Inspection preparation is therefore not simply about ensuring that documents are available or that staff know what to say. It is about understanding what inspectors are looking for and ensuring that the evidence of good practice and positive outcomes can be clearly demonstrated. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 20th October\, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £94 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £104 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThis full-day course provides a practical exploration of the Ofsted inspection framework for children’s homes and how it is applied during inspection. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider the inspection process\, the areas inspectors are likely to explore\, the different sources of evidence they may use and how that evidence contributes to inspection judgements. \n\n\n\nThe course places particular emphasis on understanding inspection from an outcomes-focused perspective: what is life like for children living in the home\, how effectively are they being helped and protected\, and what difference is the service making? \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course explores how Ofsted inspections of children’s homes are structured and how inspectors gather\, triangulate and evaluate evidence. \n\n\n\nParticipants will examine the main inspection judgement areas and consider what these mean in everyday practice. Attention will be given to children’s experiences and progress\, safeguarding and protection\, relationships\, education\, health and wellbeing\, activities and opportunities\, family and significant relationships\, and the effectiveness of leadership and management. \n\n\n\nThe course will explore the different evidence inspectors may consider\, including children’s records\, care planning documentation\, risk assessments\, incidents\, complaints\, safeguarding information\, staff records\, supervision\, training\, monitoring and quality assurance activity. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider the importance of children’s views and experiences\, observations of practice\, discussions with staff and managers\, and information obtained from families and external professionals. \n\n\n\nThere will also be a focus on leadership and management\, including management oversight\, workforce development\, monitoring the quality of care\, responding to weaknesses\, organisational learning and demonstrating continuous improvement. \n\n\n\nThe course will consider how inspectors triangulate information rather than relying on individual documents or isolated examples of practice\, and why consistency between what a service says\, what its records demonstrate and what children actually experience is so important. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThroughout the course\, participants will be encouraged to consider inspection readiness as an ongoing approach to quality rather than a last-minute preparation exercise. \n\n\n\nParticipants will explore how to identify and organise evidence of children’s experiences and progress\, including how everyday records can demonstrate the journey of a child over time. \n\n\n\nThe course will consider common weaknesses in inspection preparation\, such as excessive focus on paperwork\, incomplete management oversight\, limited evidence of learning\, inconsistent recording and an inability to demonstrate the impact of interventions. \n\n\n\nParticipants will also consider how managers can prepare staff for inspection without coaching them to provide predetermined answers. Staff should instead understand the home’s approach\, know the children they support\, understand their responsibilities and be confident discussing their own practice. \n\n\n\nPractical discussion will explore what happens when an inspector arrives\, how managers can support the inspection process\, how to respond to questions and requests for evidence\, and how to professionally challenge or clarify issues where appropriate. \n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants should be able to: \n\n\n\n\nUnderstand the purpose and structure of Ofsted inspections of children’s homes.\n\n\n\nIdentify the key areas considered when inspectors evaluate the quality of a children’s home.\n\n\n\nUnderstand how inspectors gather\, triangulate and evaluate different sources of evidence.\n\n\n\nRecognise the importance of children’s experiences and progress within inspection judgements.\n\n\n\nIdentify evidence that can demonstrate the quality and impact of everyday practice.\n\n\n\nUnderstand how safeguarding practice and risk management may be explored during inspection.\n\n\n\nRecognise the importance of effective leadership\, management oversight and quality assurance.\n\n\n\nEvaluate whether records demonstrate meaningful interventions\, progress and outcomes.\n\n\n\nIdentify common weaknesses that can affect inspection findings.\n\n\n\nSupport staff to understand and confidently discuss their practice during inspection.\n\n\n\nPrepare effectively for the practical process of an Ofsted inspection.\n\n\n\nRespond professionally to questions\, requests for evidence and emerging concerns during inspection.\n\n\n\nUse inspection preparation as part of an ongoing approach to service improvement rather than a one-off exercise.\n\n\n\nStrengthen the connection between practice\, evidence\, outcomes and organisational learning.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is designed for professionals working within or responsible for Ofsted-registered children’s homes\, including Registered Managers\, Responsible Individuals\, Deputy Managers\, senior residential childcare practitioners\, aspiring managers\, providers and other professionals with responsibility for quality assurance\, regulatory compliance or inspection preparation. It may also be useful for professionals supporting children’s homes through consultancy\, monitoring or organisational oversight. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nMiguel Valerio is an experienced social worker\, trainer\, consultant and children’s social care leader with more than 20 years of professional experience across social care\, education and professional development. \n\n\n\nHis experience within residential children’s care includes operational and strategic leadership roles as Service Manager\, Operational Manager and Responsible Individual\, with responsibility for the oversight and development of children’s homes and supported accommodation services. \n\n\n\nMiguel has direct experience of Ofsted-regulated services\, including preparing homes and teams for inspection\, supporting Registered Managers\, monitoring quality and compliance\, developing improvement plans and helping providers understand how regulatory expectations translate into everyday practice. \n\n\n\nThrough Social Care Skills\, Miguel also provides consultancy\, audits\, mock inspections\, registration support and professional development to children’s social care providers. \n\n\n\nHis training approach combines regulatory understanding with practical operational experience\, with a particular emphasis on helping services move beyond simply demonstrating compliance towards evidencing the quality\, impact and outcomes of their work with children and young people. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/childrens-homes-inspection-framework-preparing-for-inspection/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261023T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261023T130000
DTSTAMP:20260911T152845Z
CREATED:20260903T111925Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260911T152845Z
UID:5956-1792749600-1792760400@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Working with Young People Affected by the Criminal Justice System
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nChildren and young people who become involved with the criminal justice system are often experiencing circumstances that extend far beyond offending behaviour. Experiences of care\, trauma\, exploitation\, discrimination\, disrupted relationships and wider social circumstances can all influence pathways into offending and criminalisation. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 23rd October\, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £54 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £74 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThis seminar explores these pathways and encourages professionals to look beyond presenting behaviour to understand the experiences and circumstances affecting individual young people. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider the particular experiences of care-experienced young people\, including the importance of avoiding unnecessary criminalisation\, alongside trauma-informed\, strengths-based and restorative approaches to practice. \n\n\n\nThe seminar will also introduce practical considerations around proportionate risk management\, safeguarding and effective multi-agency working\, with a focus on balancing safety and accountability with relationships\, strengths and opportunities for positive change. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe seminar will explore the different pathways through which young people may become involved in offending and the criminal justice system\, recognising that offending behaviour rarely occurs in isolation. Participants will consider the influence of experiences of care\, adversity\, trauma\, exploitation\, discrimination\, disrupted relationships and wider social circumstances\, and how these factors can shape behaviour\, decision-making and vulnerability. \n\n\n\nParticular attention will be given to the experiences of care-experienced young people and the importance of understanding offending within the wider context of a young person’s life. The seminar will consider how professional and organisational responses can sometimes contribute to unnecessary criminalisation and how practitioners can respond to concerning behaviour while maintaining a focus on safeguarding\, relationships and positive change. \n\n\n\nParticipants will explore trauma-informed\, strengths-based and restorative approaches to working with young people affected by offending and criminal justice involvement. This will include considering how professionals can support accountability without defining a young person by their behaviour\, recognise strengths and opportunities for change\, and help young people develop more positive identities and aspirations. \n\n\n\nThe seminar will also introduce practical considerations around risk management\, safeguarding and multi-agency working. Through examples\, participants will consider proportionate responses to risk and the importance of effective communication and collaboration between social care\, youth justice\, police and other professionals involved in supporting the young person. \n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThroughout the course\, participants will be encouraged to look beyond the immediate behaviour and consider what may be happening in the young person’s wider life. \n\n\n\nPractical discussion and scenarios will explore how professionals can respond to offending and risk-taking behaviour without allowing the behaviour to define the young person. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider how to maintain meaningful professional relationships while setting appropriate boundaries\, managing risk and supporting accountability. \n\n\n\nThe course will explore responses to incidents within residential and supported settings\, including decision-making around police involvement\, safeguarding responses\, information sharing and communication with other professionals. \n\n\n\nParticipants will also consider how direct work and key working can help young people explore consequences\, relationships\, decision-making\, peer influence\, exploitation\, aspirations and alternative futures. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the seminar\, participants should be able to: \n\n\n\n\nIdentify key pathways into offending and criminal justice involvement\, including the potential influence of care experience\, exploitation\, adversity and discrimination.\n\n\n\nRecognise how trauma\, relationships and wider social circumstances can influence offending and risk-taking behaviour.\n\n\n\nUnderstand the particular experiences of care-experienced young people\, including how professional responses can contribute to or help prevent unnecessary criminalisation.\n\n\n\nConsider how trauma-informed\, strengths-based and restorative approaches can support engagement\, accountability and positive change.\n\n\n\nRecognise key considerations in proportionate risk management\, safeguarding and multi-agency working when supporting young people affected by the criminal justice system.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is suitable for professionals working with children and young people who are involved with\, at risk of becoming involved with\, or affected by the criminal justice system. This includes residential childcare practitioners\, children’s home managers and deputy managers\, supported accommodation practitioners and managers\, foster carers and fostering professionals\, social workers\, personal advisers\, key workers and other professionals working with adolescents across children’s social care. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nSilvia Lopez Quijada is an experienced practitioner\, academic and trainer with specialist knowledge across youth justice\, criminal justice\, victimology\, restorative justice and domestic abuse. \n\n\n\nHer professional and academic interests include understanding offending and victimisation within their wider social and relational contexts and exploring evidence-informed approaches that promote accountability\, rehabilitation and positive change. \n\n\n\nSilvia brings a strong combination of academic knowledge and practice-focused learning to her training. Her approach encourages participants to look beyond labels and presenting behaviour\, consider the experiences and circumstances influencing young people’s involvement with the criminal justice system\, and develop responses that balance safeguarding\, accountability\, relationships and opportunities for change. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/working-with-young-people-affected-by-the-criminal-justice-system/
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END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/London:20261027T100000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/London:20261027T160000
DTSTAMP:20260903T113619Z
CREATED:20260903T113616Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20260903T113619Z
UID:5968-1793095200-1793116800@socialcareskills.co.uk
SUMMARY:Managing Serious Incidents: Responding\, Reviewing and Learning
DESCRIPTION:Overview\n\n\n\nSerious incidents can happen in any social care service. When they do\, the quality of the immediate response is critical – but effective incident management does not end when the immediate situation has been brought under control. \n\n\n\nManagers and practitioners need to consider what happened\, whether everyone is safe\, who needs to be informed\, what actions are required\, how the incident should be recorded and reviewed\, and what needs to change as a result. This course explores the complete process of managing serious incidents\, from the initial response through to review\, organisational learning and improvement. \n\n\n\n📅 Date & Time: 27th October\, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM📍 Live Online via Teams📢 Early Bird Price: £94 (VAT included) – Register 2+ weeks before🎟️ Standard Price: £104 (VAT included) – Group Discount available for groups of 5+ \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nThe course considers how professionals can make effective decisions under pressure while maintaining a clear focus on safeguarding\, proportionality\, communication and accountability. It also explores the importance of management oversight and the need to look beyond individual incidents to identify patterns\, contributing factors and wider organisational issues. \n\n\n\nRather than treating incidents as isolated events that simply need to be recorded and closed\, participants will explore how serious incidents can provide important information about children’s needs\, staff practice\, risk management\, organisational systems and the overall quality of a service. \n\n\n\nCourse Content\n\n\n\nThe course begins by exploring what may constitute a serious incident and why different incidents require different levels of response\, management oversight and escalation. \n\n\n\nParticipants will consider the immediate priorities following an incident\, including ensuring safety\, responding to injuries or immediate risks\, safeguarding children and young people\, supporting staff\, preserving relevant information and establishing an accurate understanding of what has occurred. \n\n\n\nThe course will examine management decision-making during and immediately following serious incidents. This includes determining who needs to be informed\, when senior management involvement is required\, when external agencies should be contacted and how responsibilities should be coordinated when several professionals or organisations are involved. \n\n\n\nAttention will be given to effective incident recording and the importance of distinguishing factual information from assumptions\, interpretations and professional analysis. Participants will consider what good records should demonstrate about the incident\, the response and subsequent management oversight. \n\n\n\nRegulatory notifications will be considered as one element of incident management\, but the course is not focused solely on notification requirements. Instead\, participants will explore the wider responsibility to ensure that serious events are appropriately managed from beginning to end. \n\n\n\nThe course will then move into post-incident review. Participants will consider how to establish what happened\, identify contributing factors\, evaluate whether existing plans and risk assessments were effective and determine whether different actions could have reduced the likelihood or impact of the incident. \n\n\n\nAttention will also be given to repeated incidents and emerging patterns. Participants will explore how individual incidents can be analysed collectively to identify themes relating to particular children\, locations\, times\, staff practice\, environmental factors or organisational systems. \n\n\n\nFinally\, the course will consider how learning should be translated into action. This may include changes to risk assessments and plans\, staff support or training\, management arrangements\, procedures\, environmental measures or wider service development. \n\n\n\nPractice Application\n\n\n\nThroughout the course\, participants will work with realistic scenarios and consider the decisions that managers and practitioners may need to make at different stages of a serious incident. \n\n\n\nThe session will encourage participants to move beyond the question of “Was the correct procedure followed?” and consider broader questions such as: \n\n\n\n\nWhat happened?\n\n\n\nIs everyone safe?\n\n\n\nWhat needs to happen now?\n\n\n\nWho needs to know?\n\n\n\nWhat does this incident tell us?\n\n\n\nCould anything have prevented or reduced the impact of the incident?\n\n\n\nWhat needs to change as a result?\n\n\n\n\nParticipants will consider the role of management oversight\, including how managers can challenge incomplete or purely descriptive incident records and ensure that follow-up actions are completed. \n\n\n\nThe course will also explore post-incident support and debriefing\, recognising that serious incidents can have an impact on children\, young people and staff. \n\n\n\nParticular attention will be given to ensuring that learning is evidenced. Identifying a lesson is not sufficient if nothing changes afterwards. Participants will therefore consider how actions can be allocated\, monitored and reviewed to establish whether they have resulted in meaningful improvement. \n\n\n\nThe overall aim is to develop an approach in which incident management contributes to safer practice and continuous organisational learning. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\nLearning Outcomes\n\n\n\nBy the end of the course\, participants should be able to: \n\n\n\n\nRecognise the characteristics and potential significance of serious incidents.\n\n\n\nIdentify immediate priorities when responding to a serious incident.\n\n\n\nMake proportionate safeguarding and risk-management decisions following an incident.\n\n\n\nUnderstand when incidents require escalation to senior managers or external agencies.\n\n\n\nCoordinate communication and information sharing following serious events.\n\n\n\nProduce and evaluate clear\, factual and analytical incident records.\n\n\n\nUnderstand the place of regulatory notifications within the wider incident-management process.\n\n\n\nProvide effective management oversight following serious incidents.\n\n\n\nConduct meaningful post-incident reviews.\n\n\n\nIdentify immediate\, underlying and contributing factors associated with incidents.\n\n\n\nEvaluate whether existing risk assessments\, plans and interventions remain appropriate.\n\n\n\nRecognise patterns and themes across multiple incidents.\n\n\n\nConsider the impact of serious incidents on children\, young people and staff.\n\n\n\nTranslate learning from incidents into clear actions and improvements.\n\n\n\nMonitor whether actions taken following incidents have resulted in meaningful change.\n\n\n\nDevelop an organisational approach that uses incidents as opportunities for learning and improvement.\n\n\n\n\nIntended Audience\n\n\n\nThis course is suitable for professionals with responsibility for responding to\, managing\, reviewing or learning from serious incidents across social care. This includes Registered Managers\, Responsible Individuals\, Nominated Individuals\, Deputy Managers\, senior practitioners\, residential childcare staff\, supported accommodation managers and practitioners\, fostering professionals\, service managers\, safeguarding leads and other professionals with responsibility for operational oversight\, safeguarding\, risk management or quality assurance. \n\n\n\nCourse Facilitator\n\n\n\nMiguel Valerio is an experienced social worker\, trainer\, consultant and social care leader with more than 20 years of professional experience across social care\, education and professional development. \n\n\n\nHis experience includes operational and strategic leadership across children’s homes and supported accommodation\, including roles as Service Manager\, Operational Manager\, Responsible Individual and Registered Service Manager. \n\n\n\nThroughout these roles\, Miguel has extensive experience of responding to and overseeing serious incidents\, safeguarding concerns\, risk management\, regulatory notifications\, management reviews\, quality assurance and service improvement. \n\n\n\nThrough Social Care Skills\, Miguel supports social care providers with consultancy\, audits\, mock inspections\, registration\, regulatory compliance and service development. His work has a particular emphasis on helping managers move beyond procedural compliance to understand what incidents\, records and other evidence reveal about the quality and effectiveness of practice. \n\n\n\nHis training approach combines practical operational experience with reflective analysis\, helping participants consider not only how to respond effectively when serious incidents occur\, but how organisations can use those incidents to strengthen practice\, reduce risk and improve outcomes. \n\n\n\n\nREGISTER HERE
URL:https://socialcareskills.co.uk/event/managing-serious-incidents-responding-reviewing-and-learning/
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