Audience: Commissioners and placement providers

Content: In 2024 a children’s residential provider shared reflections from an incident where three employees were recruited using safer recruitment practices, as information came to light, the employees were subsequently dismissed and referred to the Barring Service. This session looks at learning and recommendations for a range of agencies involved and features speakers from the both the Disclosure and Barring Service and Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO), providing clarity around their functions. 

Delivered by: NWADCS, NW LADO representative and DBS representative. 

Location: Online MS Teams

Date: Tuesday 18 February 2-3pm   

Booking: To book a place on this session please email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk with your name, role and organisation.

Audience: Commissioners, social worker colleagues and placement providers

Content: This session will present findings from our practice enquiry with both commissioners and placement providers alongside the research in findings and recommendations from Nuffield Family Justice Observatory. At the time the research was conducted the North West had the highest number of DoLS for children and young people in England and we will explore some of the demographics and the recommended guiding practice principles. We will also be joined by Martin Sexton, Head of Service for Social Work Standards and Quality Assurance in Salford Adult Social Care/Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. Martin will be sharing what do children’s services need to do, what do providers need to do, and how all parties need to work together to find the best outcomes for young people. 

Delivered by: NWADCS, The Nuffield Family Justice Observatory and Salford Adult Social Care/Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. 

Location: Online MS Teams

Date: Tuesday 25 February 2-4pm

Booking: To book a place on this session please email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk with your name, role and organisation. 

Audience: Commissioners, social work colleagues and RFC placement providers.

Content: This session aims to help social work colleagues, commissioners and providers of this placement type to better understand each other’s roles. As a specific type of placement, it is important we have a shared space to learn and discuss the differences and consider local sufficiency. Please come along to learn more including hearing from Ofsted and a North West RFC provider. 

Location: Online MS Teams

Date: Thursday 27 February 2025 2-3pm

Booking: To book a place on this session please email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk with your name, role and organisation. 

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

2025 Dates: 10am 20 March; 2pm 18 June; 10am 23 September; 2pm 10 December

Duration: 120 minutes

Booking: Please email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk and include; name, role, organisation and preferred date.

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 how they are used, how to raise a notification and working with providers to resolve issues.

Delivered by: Placements North West

Location: Online via Teams

2025 Dates: 1pm 5 February, 11am 2 July, 11am 12 November

Duration: 60 minutes

Booking: Please email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk and include; name, role, organisation and preferred date.

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.  

Delivered by: Placements North West

Location: Online via Teams

2025 Dates: 10am 22 April, 1pm 1 July, 10am 23 October, 1pm 9 December

Duration: 60 minutes

Booking: Please email placementsnorthwest@stockport.gov.uk and include; name, role, organisation and preferred date

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: 10am 4 February, 1pm 29 July, 10am 5 November

Fostering: 1pm 4 February, 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.