“Re-imagining the child welfare system for the 21st century” – Conference

Leeds will play host to an international conference to explore innovative practice in working with families: “reimagining the child welfare system for the 21st century “on 23 – 25 November, at the Leeds Hilton Hotel.

Speakers from Canada, the US, New Zealand and the UK, who are all at the forefront of innovative approaches to child welfare and family practice, offer a rare opportunity to learn from the best of the international learning community. Anyone working or teaching in the fields of social care, health and family, children’s services will find this conference of benefit.  Read more

The conference provides the ideal opportunity to experience international innovation in working with families, with speakers including:

• Dr Moana Erurera, Principal Advisor Maori, Office of the Chief Social Worker, New Zealand. Moana is a Maori woman and has over 25 years of experience in social and community work including family violence prevention, child protection, indigenous training and framework development, youth restorative justice, tribal projects and research. Her working career and vision has been committed to child safety and wellbeing, social work and social justice, human rights and the development of Maori and indigenous people. Currently she shares the New Zealand National Principal Advisor Maori role with Dr Leland Ruwhiu in theOoffice of the Chief Social Worker, which whom she has so-constructed along with stakeholders a framework for culturally responsive practice when working with Maori children and families.

• Anne Longfield OBE Children’s Commissioner for England is tasked in law with promoting and protecting the rights and working in the interest of all the children in England, particularly the most vulnerable including those in care. A leading figure in children and family policy for over 30 years, Anne has led numerous campaigns, inquiries and commissions which have influenced successive governments and worked on a number of high profile children and family programmes including in David Cameron’s strategy unit within the Cabinet Office during his time in office as Prime Minister.

• Professor Jennifer Llewellyn, Viscount Bennett Professor of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University. Jennifer’s teaching and research focuses in the areas of relational theory, restorative justice, truth commissions, international and domestic human rights law and Canadian constitution law. She has written and published extensively on the theory and practice of a restorative approach in both transitional contexts and established democracies.

• Gale Burford, Professor Emeritus of Social Work, University of Vermont. Gale’s career has spanned work internationally as a social work practitioner, supervisor and senior manager of services for young people in Quebec; educator and researcher in Newfoundland, Labrador and New Zealand; and trainer and consultant in Europe, North England and New Zealand. His innovative work with his collaborator Joan Pennell investigating the role of families in stopping interpersonal violence has been recognised and used to guide practice and research in many parts of the world by child and family welfare and restorative justice practitioners and leaders.

The three- day conference also includes workshops, fringe events, a drinks reception and conference dinner with talk by Lemn Sissay MBE:writer, poet, associate artist at Southbank Centre, patron of The Letterbox Club and The Reader Organisation, ambassador for The Children’s Reading Fund, trustee of Forward Arts Foundation, inaugural trustee of World Book Night and honorary doctor of letters.

Don’t be disappointed – book your tickets here