Audience: Social workers, placement and commissioning teams. Anyone who is involved in writing referrals for children. Representatives from providers of children's social care placements. 

Content: The role of the commissioning team, sufficiency context for the North West, stability and placement endings, the impact of bad referrals, and provider and commissioning perspective. How to improve the quality of referrals through making a connection, focusing on outcomes, introducing flexibility, including the voice of the child. 

Delivered by: A local authority commissioning team member and a representative from an external provider of children's placements.

Location: Online via Teams Webinar

2025 Dates and booking: 

2pm 18 June; email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk with job title and organisations. 

10am 23 September; register direct using the link below.

https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/6f220676-4b5e-4e6c-899e-179d01070ceb@a05ef69e-6149-4fba-a40c-df338810f644. 

2pm 10 December; register direct using the link below. 

https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/8375a1c8-36bf-4a4c-a8b2-dfe9d79e4cba@a05ef69e-6149-4fba-a40c-df338810f644

Duration: 120 minutes.

Audience: Providers, placement and commissioning teams. Anyone who is involved in working with children in external placements.

Content: Purpose of the Information Sharing Protocol, overview of the protocol, how to raise and rescind a notification under the protocol and working in partnership to resolve issues.

Delivered by: Placements North West

Location: Online via Teams

2025 Dates and booking: 

11am 02 July 2025; https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/881b4bea-9a71-4ac8-9629-2faf3bb12948@a05ef69e-6149-4fba-a40c-df338810f644

11am 12 November; https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/58a07e14-a947-4061-8bea-74bb6cc9a39a@a05ef69e-6149-4fba-a40c-df338810f644

Duration: 60 minutes.

Audience: Staff who are new to the purchasing systems, including those from new providers and new starters at current providers or placement and commissioning teams.

Content: The role of the Placements North West team, how the purchasing systems work, expectations of providers and local authorities and opportunities for engagement.  

Location: Online via Teams Webinar

Dates: 

10am 22 April; Please email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk and include; name, role, organisation and preferred date

1pm 1 July; https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/9a70a2f2-6bfa-4dcb-a519-c158c3a3acd0@a05ef69e-6149-4fba-a40c-df338810f644

10am 23 October; https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/728e1e54-35a2-4764-87ed-dfb642bac349@a05ef69e-6149-4fba-a40c-df338810f644

1pm 9 December; https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/fc4d1c8f-23cd-46f6-8239-70e2e97ce95c@a05ef69e-6149-4fba-a40c-df338810f644

Duration: 60 minutes.

Audience: Providers working in the North West

Content: The sessions will consist of regional updates, Local authority issues and feedback, discussion around current topics and provider feedback. 

Delivered by: Placements North West 

Location: Online via Teams

2025 Dates: 

Residential: 1pm 29 July, 10am 5 November

Fostering: 10am 29 July, 1pm 5 November

SEND: 1pm 26 March, 10am 10 September

Supported Accommodation: 10am 26 March, 1pm 10 September

Duration: 60 minutes

Booking: Please email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk and include name, email and company name.

Please be advised that the use of AI bots or automated systems to attend this Microsoft Teams meeting on behalf of any participant is strictly prohibited unless prior acknowledgement and approval has been made. All attendees must join the meeting personally. Any violation of this policy, including the use of AI to interact, respond, or engage during the meeting, will be considered a breach of our participation guidelines and may result in appropriate actions, including removal from the meeting. If you wish to use this technology as part of the meeting please email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk in advance of the session.