Abstract The ASPIRE Project (Actioning a Schools & Prisons Independent Research Evaluation) In July 2023, the Welsh Government commissioned the ASPIRE Team for a 12-month period to provide options and considerations for a national model of support to improve wellbeing and educational outcomes for children affected by parental imprisonment in Wales. The ASPIRE team is… Read More

Presenter: Dr Siobhan O’Dwyer and Dr Dan Burrows Presenters Dr Siobhan O’Dwyer is Associate Professor of Social Care at the University of Birmingham. She has led research on unpaid care for the last 15 years, including studies in Australia, the UK, and the Netherlands. Her research has informed policy and practice, and inspired critically acclaimed… Read More

Presenter: Dr Emily Lowthian, Lecturer in Education, Swansea University Abstract “Children who have relatively short periods of care – and/or who experience care in early or late childhood – commonly face the most significant deficit in their educational attainment compared to those with longer and more stable care experiences. Explanatory analyses suggest suspensions, exclusions and… Read More

Presenter: Professor Sara Ryan Abstract People with learning disabilities live with many absences across their lives due to epistemic injustice and ignorance. These absences include respect, employment, sexual intimacy, parenthood and, as we found in our recent study Growing Older, Planning Ahead, ageing. I discuss these findings and reflect on the role of research in… Read More

Presenter: Dr Edmund Coleman-Fountain, University of York, and self-advocates involved in this project Abstract This webinar will explore the “What About Me?” project. Funded by the NIHR (Research for Patient Benefit), the project investigates what it is like to be a person with learning disabilities who relies on unfunded support. The project has been co-produced… Read More

Presenters: Andrea Meek and Dr. Elisa Vigna, National Centre for Mental Health at Cardiff University and Gerraint Jones-Griffiths, Learning Disability Wales/ Honorary Associate at Cardiff University. Abstract This presentation will explore the importance of partnership working in Supported Employment, based on Engage to Change, a 7-year national project supporting young people aged 16-25 with a… Read More

Our first Webinar in our conference series – On the Journey: Navigating Mental Health Abstract In this presentation, offered as a basis for discussion, Peter, drawing on his own and other people’s lived experience, aims to help us rethink both understandings of mental wellbeing and distress and helpful ways of addressing the difficulties we may… Read More

Our second webinar in our conference series – On the Journey: Navigating Mental Health “Webinar: What works to improve the mental health of care-experienced children and young people: Systematic review evidence” Abstract The mental health and wellbeing of care-experienced children and young people remains a major concern. To date, it has not been clear which… Read More

Our fourth webinar in our conference series – On the Journey: Navigating Mental Health Abstract The ability to form strong relationships is viewed as central to mental health recovery. Few studies have explored the experiences of people with mental health problems in forming or maintaining romantic relationships. This study addressed this gap through conducting focus… Read More