The event is open to Responsible Individuals, Registered Managers and Deputies and is a great opportunity to share ideas, seek support and improve practice. 

Agenda for 27th November:

10:00am – Welcome and introductions, John Woodhouse and Jilly Tobin

10:15am – Sector updates, John Woodhouse

An overview of what is going on in legislation, inspection and research around children’s homes, education and residential care

11:15am – Why are Children’s Homes getting smaller? Risk aversion in Children’s Social Care, John Woodhouse

John Woodhouse has recently edited and published The Perfect Little Children’s Home?, a set of perspectives on the shape of the children’s home sector and why uncontained anxiety and ideology rather than children’s needs are pushing us towards smaller and smaller homes. His background is management of a children’s home in a therapeutic community, as a children’s rights officer, senior leadership in social work and founded dialogue, a training and leadership development organisation that has particular support for residential care 14 years ago.

12:15pm – Lunch

1:15pm – Knowing Where the Need Is – Marcus Williamson, Elyndra

Marcus Williamson’s family runs children’s homes. He has built on his background in mathematics and data to found Elyndra, building referral and placement matching technology for providers and local authorities. 

Providers are increasingly expected to evidence where local need sits. Ofsted is holding back new registrations unless a home answers an identified priority, and the regional care cooperatives are forming to pool budgets and commission against area need. Yet published sufficiency data tells you what has already happened rather than what is wanted next. Drawing on referral data from independent providers, Marcus will look at what is actually being referred across the South West and the Peninsula, which authorities are placing what, and what the emerging regional arrangements look likely to ask of providers. The second half is deliberately open, working through what information would genuinely help RIs and where it might come from. Useful for anyone weighing up whether to register, where to open, or how to get found.

2:45pm – Coffee Break

3:00pm – Managing Allegations – John Woodhouse

While guidance requires regulated settings to follow safeguarding procedures when a child may have been harmed by a member of staff or volunteer, our research found a quarter did not offer managing allegations training and only a third had received personnel training.

4pm –Small group discussions and forward planning – John Woodhouse and Jilly Tobin

4:30pm – Close