Event Details

Key Speakers

	Nushra Mansuri, Professional Officer (England), British Association of Social Workers
	Willma King, Senior Consultant for Safeguarding, NSPCC

Overview

Pledging to significantly improve the quality of child protection services in the UK, the Government commissioned Professor Eileen Munro to undertake a wide-ranging review of front-line child protection practices. Envisaging a system focused on the needs of the child and the journey they take through the child protection system, Professor Munro’s review, ‘A child-centred system’ (May 2011), outlined a radical new approach, measuring the success of services by the end result for the child, rather than by how well certain processes and procedures have been carried out. The review argued that significantly reducing the current level of central prescription and regulation would enable local areas to develop their own child protection services according to local needs, and free professionals to use their expertise to fully assess a child and provide the right help.

However, whilst seeking to empower social workers to exercise greater professional judgement, the Munro review also underlined the need to improve the knowledge and skills of social workers, from training through to CPD. The current career structure must also be reformed to facilitate a more varied career path and a stronger voice for practitioners in management to drive up standards. A more responsive system will also require better and more extensive multi-agency working, supported by clear lines of accountability, a new duty on local services to clarify responsibilities and a new inspection framework to measure the effectiveness of each service’s contribution to safeguarding a child.

Accepting the Munro review’s recommendations, the Government has begun the process of creating the conditions for sustained, long term reform of the child protection system. This timely symposium offers an invaluable opportunity to consider the Government’s response to the review’s recommendations and explore the next steps in delivering a child-centred system that champions professional expertise.

Delegates will:

• Explore the Government’s response to the Munro Review recommendations for developing a child-centred protection system
• Explore how to work in partnership to improve early intervention and prevention methods
• Examine how to up-skill the social care workforce, through better training and career development
• Consider how to improve and expand multi-agency working, increasing accountability and sharing best practice

Programme

Who Should Attend?

• Directors of Children's Services
• Children's Services and Families Services Officers
• Social Workers and Social Services Officers
• Local Safeguarding Children Boards
• Sure Start
• Children's Trusts and Children's Centres
• Early Years and Childcare Practitioners
• Children's Health Service Professionals
• Child and Adolescent Mental Health Practitioners
• Teenage Pregnancy Co-ordinators
• Teachers and Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators
• HR, Training and Organisational Development Professionals
• Local Education Authorities
• Education Providers
• Extended Schools Advisors
• Children and Youth Organisations
• Community Development Managers
• Social Exclusion and Neighbourhood Renewal Teams
• Youth Workers and Youth Offending Teams
• Community Safety Teams
• Police Service
• Welfare Rights Organisations
• Training Organisations
• Employers
• DfE, DWP, DoH and other Central Government Departments and Agencies
• Equality and Diversity Practitioners
• Third Sector Practitioners
• Academics and Researchers
• Trade Unions

“ A one-size-fits-all approach is not the right way for child protection services to operate. Top down government targets and too many forms and procedures are preventing professionals from being able to give children the help they need and assess whether that help has made a difference...

…Whilst reducing prescription is a key theme of my recommendations, it is important to keep rules that help local services work together better. Professionals in social services, health, education and the police need to know what to expect of each other. I have therefore recommended a new duty on local services to coordinate early help for families because this is vital if we are to prevent less severe problems escalating to neglect or abuse.”
— Professor Eileen Munro, May 2011

“ The system is… not helping professionals to do their best for children and young people. That has to change. The Government is determined to work with all involved with safeguarding children to bring about lasting reform. Together, we want to build a child protection system where the focus is very firmly on the experience of the child or young person’s journey from needing to receiving help. That means reducing central prescription and interference and placing greater trust in local leaders and skilled frontline professionals.”
— A Child-Centred System: The Government’s response to the Munro review of child protection, July 2011