Skylark are delighted to invite you to the second conference of the Northern Children’s Homes Network.

Colleagues who attended the November conference told us the things they found most useful included:

coming together with other providers, networking and sharing practice
the delivery of inspection data and thematic analysis
the real life stories from other organisations, with input from social workers, advocates, and former Ofsted inspectors.
listening to the experiences of others through inspections

You also asked for guest speakers, more activities to test knowledge and more opportunities to network and to speak with colleagues, and we listened!

We’ll begin with the thematic analysis of over 100 regional inspections since our last conference and learning from the requirements and recommendations. Then, former Ofsted inspector Michael Dack will deliver a session on the environment of a children’s home and culture. Michael started his career in residential care in the early 1990s, before moving to fostering and then to Ofsted.

We’ll have an hour for lunch, which will provide opportunity to engage in facilitated networking.

The Spring conference will also welcome Maria Catterick, founder of the FASD Network (UK). Maria will take us through ‘Under the Radar – Recognising and supporting young people with prenatal alcohol exposure and Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)’, helping to raise our awareness of FASD, how it can be prevented and how it presents across the lifespan. Support and strategies for those caring for children with FASD will also be explored. Maria is the author of ‘Understanding FASD: A guide for parents, carers, and professionals’, which combines her lived experience as a foster carer with a practitioner’s perspective.