Children in Care Conference 2025 

​

News stories always focus on lessons from what has gone wrong. They ignore the superb work done by public sector and charity workers and lessons to be learned from the many success stories. This conference will aim to focus on the latter.

Nearly 4 out of 5 Children in Care are there because of neglect or abuse or family disfunction. When taken into care, they will already be traumatised. Being taken into care will often add to this trauma. 31% of children in care have special educational needs. Almost 50% of those with SEN and who are in care when they start senior school will face exclusion at some stage. Half those who have been in care will have a criminal conviction by the age of 24 and a quarter of the prison population consists of people who have been Children in Care.

Teenage girls are particularly vulnerable to exploitation by organised gangs – and no doubt equally vulnerable to unorganised individual men and groups. They will often have been abused before being taken into care. As highlighted in the Sara Sharif trial, would it often be better to take children into care much earlier?

So, what are the factors that mean that most Children in Care do not have SEN, do not go to prison and are not excluded from school? How much of this is down to good practice by social services, education authorities, charities and foster carers? Is it possible to identify and spread such practice?

This highly regarded conference will highlight policy updates, showcase innovative strategies and share best practice with the aspiration to improve the lives of children in care across the UK.

This event will bring together key stakeholders from local authorities, the NHS, third sector, support services and most notably people with care experience to share their expertise and insights. Through engaging keynote speakers, instructive case studies and knowledge exchange and networking opportunities, this conference will highlight successful work and promote initiatives that positively benefit children in care.

Attendees will have the opportunity to become better informed and receive valuable updates in child welfare practice, as well as participate in discussions aimed at driving positive outcomes for Children in Care.

Book now and join us at the Children Looked After 5th National Conference 2025 for an unmissable opportunity to contribute to positive change and champion the well-being of every child in care.

This conference is designed to induce change with knowledge, innovation, and inspiration. Any transformation of a process or service requires the input of products and services devised to make improvements such as digital technologies; training provision; workforce planning; outsourced services; data and analytics etc. If your organisation supports change through your products and services, our delegates and conference participants will be ready to engage with you.