Building better social care in Wales
Abstract This webinar introduces the NIHR-funded Food Glorious Food project, offering early insights from its realist evaluation. People living with dementia face a heightened risk of malnutrition and dehydration. However, food plays a far more significant role than nutrition alone – it can influence psychosocial wellbeing, foster a sense of citizenship, and support personal and… Read More
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
Find out more about our upcoming events and webinars, and how you can sign up, on this page. For a list of past events, visit our archive.
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Irene will talk about two NIHR-funded studies: the Victoria & Stuart Project (co-producing a toolkit of co-created resources that help people with a learning disability to be involved in end of life care planning) and the DAPPLE Project (looking at models of palliative and end of life care delivery for people with a learning disability). Both projects involved groups of people with a learning disability. In this session, Irene will use video recordings of these groups that will show: - How we made the Victoria & Stuart toolkit (almost 200 people were actively involved, including 36 people with a learning disability) - How the DAPPLE co-production group works together to think about study findings Irene will talk about the important principles of co-production, and why it is essential that we include the people who matter most. This might give you ideas that you can take back to your workplace – whether you do research or work with people with a learning disability, or not!
Online, Teams
12:00
- 09/09/2026
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Effective children’s services need to work with parents, yet there is comparatively little research directly observing these often complicated and sometimes difficult conversations. The first half of this talk will share findings from studies observing over 300 recordings of practice to identify key features of effective practice. It will introduce a reliable coding scheme for core social work skills and present key findings from studies using these codes. The second half will compare the views of parents, care experienced adults and social workers with the coding scheme in relation to observations of practice . The seminar will conclude by proposing 4 core dimensions of good practice in working with parents in child and family social work and make suggestions for how individuals and organisations can support excellence in these areas.
Online, Teams
12:00
- 16/09/2026
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This talk will discuss the needs for support with developing positive romantic/intimate relationships of people using mental health services. It will provide an overview of current evidence regarding the views of practitioners and people using mental health services, and the perceived barriers and challenges with discussing or offering support with romantic/intimate relationships. Different models of care and support, and potential learning from other social care sectors, will be considered. This talk hopes to encourage a conversation about whether and how social workers and social care staff could and should be talking to people using mental health services about their needs and wishes for romantic/intimate relationships, and what support could be offered?
Online, Teams
13:00
- 22/09/2026
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There is high demand on children's social care (CSC) from families with young children: one in five children will be referred to CSC services before age five. Given these pressures, understanding whether early years programmes can reduce demand is crucial. This webinar will feature findings from two studies to measure the impact of place-based early years services for families of 0-4 year olds living in disadvantaged areas in Wales and Northern Ireland. Using de‑identified administrative data covering all children born in Wales and Northern Ireland, we examine the outcomes of children born in areas that received Flying Start or Sure Start services. We leveraged interesting policy features in both programmes which created groups of identical disadvantaged areas -- some of which received early years services whilst others did not. This creates natural comparison areas and allows us to see what the effects of being born in a Sure Start or Flying Start area are. Our work collectively provides rare comparative evidence across two systems with different national contexts and approaches to early years. We will discuss findings from both studies on the impact of these policies on children's social care at a time when social care systems face rising pressures and high rates of intervention for under‑5s.
Online, Teams
12:00
- 13/10/2026
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This webinar will present emerging findings from an all-Wales qualitative case study, and associated European literature review, within the SERENA consortium project. SERENA (Assessing and improving access to health and social care SErvices for children RENdered vulnerable by Abuse) is a Horizon Europe-funded consortium project bringing together research from 26 countries across Europe. The team in Cardiff University, alongside partners in Denmark and France, are responsible for mapping existing services for children who have experienced maltreatment and identifying barriers for accessing these services. This has been undertaken using two methods: (1) A systematic literature review of studies across three European countries (UK, Denmark and France) with the aim to understand more about existing research on service availability and barriers, and (2) qualitative interviews with adults who experienced maltreatment as children, and professionals who provide post-maltreatment support services in Wales, Denmark and France. Key findings from the literature review and emerging findings from the Welsh interview study will be discussed, alongside methods, public involvement work, and future plans for the research.
Online, Teams
13:00
- 21/09/2026
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The Wales Safeguarding Repository (WSR) is a digital repository of safeguarding reviews from Wales. Safeguarding reviews in Wales historically fell under separate processes depending on the type of victim or perpetrator, for example, Child Practice Reviews, Adult Practice Reviews, Domestic Homicide Reviews, and Mental Health Homicide Reviews. However, these reviews often held common themes and sometimes multiple reviews were undertaken for a single incident. In response to this, Welsh Government initiated the Single Unified Safeguarding Review (SUSR), which encompasses all categories of safeguarding review. SUSR Statutory Guidance highlights that professionals should access the WSR for relevant information at all stages of the SUSR process. This webinar provides an opportunity to learn how this relatively new safeguarding review system is working in practice, drawing upon professional insights from an experienced SUSR Chair & Reviewer and the academic lead of the WSR. Examples from recent SUSRs will showcase how the WSR is facilitating higher quality reviews and more robust recommendations.
Online, Teams
13:00
- 08/12/2026
ExChange Wales brings leading researchers together with practitioners and service users to share expertise, research evidence and care experiences.
Through our conferences, workshops, lectures and seminars, ExChange provides free, high-quality training to support the ongoing development of social care professionals across Wales. Attracting leading national speakers, together we learn and advise on research, impacting both policy and practice. Our events and resources enrich skills while foregrounding the lived experience of care-experienced people.
We have a range of ways that you can work with ExChange. If you wish to host an ExChange workshop, webinar, podcast or blog, simply contact us.
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
