29 July 2021
09:30 – 12:30
A half-day Course

The 2015 report by Public Health Wales, the Welsh Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study states that “There is a growing body of evidence that our experiences during childhood can affect health throughout the life course. Children who experience stressful and poor quality childhoods are more likely to adopt health-harming behaviours during adolescence which can themselves lead to mental health illnesses and diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes later in life.”

“Adverse Childhood Experiences are not just a concern for health. Experiencing Adverse Childhood Experiences means individuals are more likely to perform poorly in school, more likely to be involved in crime and ultimately less likely to be a productive member of society”.

What happened to the under fives during lockdown? How can we support families to support their children?

This event is hosted by Parenting across Scotland.

Date and time
Tuesday, 29 June 2021
14:00 – 15:30 BST

About this event

Join us at an event to look at the impact Covid has had on the under fives and their families. Hear from Dr Debby Wason about Public Health Scotland’s research on Covid and the early years, with responses from Dr Lucy Thompson from the University of Aberdeen and Cheryl Brown from Midlothian Sure Start. There will then be a chance to discuss recommendations for what needs to happen next.

Programme

One-day course

A sound knowledge of child development is essential for everyone working with children.  Having an underpinning knowledge about typical patterns of overall development helps practitioners identify where there are concerns that a child may be ‘off track’ and may need additional support to achieve progress across the different domains.  A good understanding of development can help keep children safe, promote their wellbeing, assist in assessment, and inform which interventions/support is most suited to their needs.

The aims of the course are:

• Understand the growth and development of children 0– 12 years
• Consider growth across different domains of development, including brain development
• Consider the factors that contribute to delaying or interrupting a child’s development
• Explore the impact that adversity and trauma can have on child development
• Explore the importance of play in the development of children
• Consider the available tools to observe and assess a child’s development, and the options to support a child’s developmental needs
• Reflect on how to support parents and carers to promote positive outcomes for children

Who is the course aimed at?

All practitioners including family support workers, social workers, and carers working with children from 0 – 12 who want to increase their understanding of what to expect of children at certain stages of development and how this can be supported through their role.

About the trainer

Claire Sharp has worked with children and young people, in the voluntary and statutory sector, for over twenty years and currently works as Children in Wales’ Training Officer. Claire spent many years working in the field of domestic abuse, directly supporting children and young people in refuges and in the community, before moving on to manage Children’s Services at Welsh Women’s Aid. She has an ongoing interest in encouraging education and learning, in its broadest sense, having worked both as a primary teacher and in the supervision and assessment of student social workers in child and family teams.

Claire now trains practitioners from a variety of services, on a wide range of issues, including children’s rights and child protection. Claire has also delivered Early Support training, a programme aimed to improve recognition and support for disabled children and their families through a multi-agency approach with the child at the centre. Claire is a volunteer with UCAN Productions, a performance and creative arts co-operative for blind and partially sighted children, young people and their friends, supporting the children to have opportunities to play and socialise and develop skills and confidence.

A one-day course

The course will be looking at issues practitioners face in supporting children whose parents/carers are uncooperative through Ambivalence, Avoidance, Confrontation or Violence. The issues will be explored and solutions sought so participants can go away with practical solutions to use in their practice. Issues of disguised compliance will be explored using examples from Serious Case Reviews and indicators explored for participants to take away for use in their work.

The course will use a wide range of training methods including scenarios, experiential learning, and exercises and sharing of experiences. We aim to maintain a relaxed and informative environment where learning takes place through interactive and fun activities.

Course aims:

• Understand what uncooperative behaviour is and know the types that can occur.
• Be aware of the reasons for uncooperative behaviour and the impact it can have, including: Impact on assessments and ongoing work. Multi-agency working.
• Know how to respond to uncooperative behaviour: Dealing with violence and hostility. Keeping yourself safe.
• Understand what disguised compliance is and when it occurs?
• Be aware of how Social Workers can identify and counteract disguised compliance? What is my role in this resistance? Understanding the relationship.
• Recognise the link with safeguarding and disguised compliance e.g. Missed opportunities for intervention. Professional attention diverted from the child. Causes over-optimism about progress.

Who the course is aimed at?

The course is aimed at those working with parents whose behaviour is concerning and who want to put the child at the centre of their practice.

About the trainer

Mike Mainwaring has worked with Children and Young People for over 20 years. Specialising in substance misuse, youth homelessness, participation and children’s rights. He is a qualified trainer and has trained children, young people and adults on substance misuse, LGBT issues, children’s rights, participation, dealing with difficult behaviour, safeguarding and child protection, Child Sexual Exploitation and boundaries. He has also developed and run youth lead research projects. He has worked in various settings such as street drug projects, residential rehabilitation, outreach work, play, youth work, manged housing projects and run youth councils. He has an art background, working with young people in distress through the medium of art and exhibiting his own work about social issues.

A one-day course 

Understanding and identifying what Transgender means can help to create a safe and supportive environment for those children & young people experiencing issues.

By the end of the course, participants will: 

• Have gained knowledge of what transgender means
• Understand the process of transition
• Explore issues effecting transgender children and young people
• Gain knowledge and skills for supporting transgender children and young people
• Create an action plan to develop Transgender friendly environments

Who the course is aimed at?

Managers who are designing transgender friendly environments, such as schools, colleges and charities. Support staff who want to gain knowledge and skills for supporting children and young people who identify as transgender.

About the trainer 

Mike Mainwaring has worked with Children and Young People for over 20 years. Specialising in substance misuse, youth homelessness, participation and children’s rights. He is a qualified trainer and has trained children, young people and adults on substance misuse, LGBT issues, children’s rights, participation, dealing with difficult behaviour, safeguarding and child protection, Child Sexual Exploitation and boundaries. He has also developed and run youth lead research projects. He has worked in various settings such as street drug projects, residential rehabilitation, outreach work, play, youth work, managed housing projects and run youth councils. He has an art background, working with young people in distress through the medium of art and exhibiting his own work about social issues.

22 – 23 September 2021
09:30 – 16:00

A two-day course

This course is aimed at people acting in the ‘Designated Person’ role working in a variety of organisations including schools, children’s daycare and residential settings, also services providing support to children and families in the voluntary and private sector.

All children have the right to live lives free from abuse and neglect but recent events highlight, yet again, how difficult it can be for so many adults to recognise, and act on concerns about the safety or welfare of a child. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that all organisations concerned with children should work towards what’s best for each child. The Designated Person for Child Protection has a vital role within organisations helping to ensure that adequate safeguards are in place and that necessary action is taken when concerns about a child are raised.

This two day training course will consider:

• The role of the Designated Person and how this can be incorporated into your organisation
• Legislation and guidance on safeguarding children and young people, particularly within the Welsh context
• Essential safeguarding measures that need to be in place
• The ‘abuse of trust’ and how to remain alert to potential sexual offences within the organisation
• Assessing concerns about a child and making a referral to social services if necessary
• The statutory child protection system and what may be expected of you
• Confidentiality and good record keeping
• Diversity and the additional vulnerabilities for some children

14 September 2021
09:30 – 16:00

A one-day course

The course compliments that on Child Development and looks at children as they develop into adolescents. This course examines the teenage years in terms of physical, psychological, emotional and social development. Examining the issues and looking at how that understanding can help with engaging with and affectively supporting young people.

The Aims of the course are:

• An Understanding of the stages of development – intellectual and social-emotional
• Communicating – How to talk to teenagers
• Building relationships – building trust, learning to negotiate, setting boundaries
• Understanding stress factors – peer pressure, sex and relationships, substance misuse, bullying, abuse and trauma
• How to promote independence and resilience

Who is the course aimed at?

Practitioners working with teenagers and want to understand how their brains work and how this manifests itself in behaviour.

About the trainer

Mike Mainwaring has worked with Children and Young People for over 20 years. Specialising in substance misuse, youth homelessness, participation and children’s rights. He is a qualified trainer and has trained children, young people and adults on substance misuse, LGBT issues, children’s rights, participation, dealing with difficult behaviour, safeguarding and child protection, Child Sexual Exploitation and boundaries. He has also developed and run youth lead research projects. He has worked in various settings such as street drug projects, residential rehabilitation, outreach work, play, youth work, managed housing projects and run youth councils. He has an art background, working with young people in distress through the medium of art and exhibiting his own work about social issues. Mike has extensive experience of working with young people with mental health issues in various settings, such as drop-ins, residential rehabilitation, hostel accommodation and other youth settings.

A half-day course

The 2015 report by Public Health Wales, the Welsh Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study states that “There is a growing body of evidence that our experiences during childhood can affect health throughout the life course. Children who experience stressful and poor quality childhoods are more likely to adopt health-harming behaviours during adolescence which can themselves lead to mental health illnesses and diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes later in life.

“Adverse Childhood Experiences are not just a concern for health. Experiencing Adverse Childhood Experiences means individuals are more likely to perform poorly in school, more likely to be involved in crime and ultimately less likely to be a productive member of society”.

About the trainer

Claire Sharp has worked with children and young people, in the voluntary and statutory sector, for over twenty years and currently works as Children in Wales’ Training Officer. Claire spent many years working in the field of domestic abuse, directly supporting children and young people in refuges and in the community, before moving on to manage Children’s Services at Welsh Women’s Aid. She has an ongoing interest in encouraging education and learning, in its broadest sense, having worked both as a primary teacher and in the supervision and assessment of student social workers in child and family teams.

Claire now trains practitioners from a variety of services, on a wide range of issues, including children’s rights and child protection. Claire has also delivered Early Support training, a programme aimed to improve recognition and support for disabled children and their families through a multi-agency approach with the child at the centre. Claire is a volunteer with UCAN Productions, a performance and creative arts co-operative for blind and partially sighted children, young people and their friends, supporting the children to have opportunities to play and socialise and develop skills and confidence.

22 July 2021
09:30 – 16:00

One-day course

The incidents of mental health amongst young people is on the increase, along with self-harm and eating disorders. The course aims to explore the various difficulties young people experience with mental health and how to build resilience and improve wellbeing. The course will examine the different types of mental health, the behaviours that can accompany them and how to support the young person. Various ways of building resilience will be introduced. How to maintain wellbeing will be demonstrated.

Aims of the course are:

• To raise awareness of mental health issues
• To gain a better understanding of mental health such as depression, anxiety
• To offer techniques for supporting young people
• To gain skills in building resilience and increase wellbeing
• To build confidence in dealing with these issues

Who should attend?

This course is aimed at frontline workers and practitioners working with young people who want to improve how they respond and work with young people.

About the trainer

Mike Mainwaring has worked with Children and Young People for over 20 years. Specialising in substance misuse, youth homelessness, participation and children’s rights. He is a qualified trainer and has trained children, young people and adults on substance misuse, LGBT issues, children’s rights, participation, dealing with difficult behaviour, safeguarding and child protection, Child Sexual Exploitation and boundaries. He has also developed and run youth lead research projects. He has worked in various settings such as street drug projects, residential rehabilitation, outreach work, play, youth work, managed housing projects and run youth councils. He has an art background, working with young people in distress through the medium of art and exhibiting his own work about social issues. Mike has extensive experience of working with young people with mental health issues in various settings, such as drop-ins, residential rehabilitation, hostel accommodation and other youth settings.

9 July 2021
09:30 – 16:00

A one-day course

County lines is the police term for urban gangs supplying drugs to suburban areas and market and coastal towns using dedicated mobile phone lines or “deal lines”. It involves child criminal exploitation (CCE) as gangs use children and vulnerable people to move drugs and money. Gangs establish a base in the market location, typically by taking over the homes of local vulnerable adults by force or coercion in a practice referred to as ‘cuckooing’.

County lines activity and the associated violence, drug dealing and exploitation has a devastating impact on young people, vulnerable adults and local communities. It involves using children as drugs mules (carrying drugs for others), children being trafficked within the UK, the young people being trapped by drug use (dependence), debts owed to the gang leaders and or the threat of violence. The young people can be drawn in through the allure of money, kinship and status, and do not recognise they are being groomed (often by other young people) or recognise their exploitation by others. The glamour and exciting soon turning to isolation and fear.

Course aims:

• The history of gangs
• How county lines work
• Gangs and the law
• Current trends in substance misuse
• Cuckooing
• Child Sexual Exploitation
• How to spot signs and symptoms
• How to support young people
• Referral routes

Who the course is aimed at:

County lines is a major, cross-cutting issue involving drugs, violence, gangs, safeguarding, criminal and sexual exploitation, modern slavery, and missing persons; and the response to tackle it involves the police, the National Crime Agency, a wide range of Government departments, local government agencies and VCS (voluntary and community sector) organisations. The course is aimed at being a full guide for practitioners working with young people in and leaving care; youth justice; substance misuse; supported accommodation and housing associations.

About the trainer

Mike Mainwaring has worked with Children and Young People for over 20 years. Specialising in substance misuse, youth homelessness, participation and children’s rights. He is a qualified trainer and has trained children, young people and adults on substance misuse, LGBT issues, children’s rights, participation, dealing with difficult behaviour, safeguarding and child protection, Child Sexual Exploitation and boundaries. He has also developed and run youth lead research projects. He has worked in various settings such as street drug projects, residential rehabilitation, outreach work, play, youth work, managed housing projects and run youth councils. He has an art background, working with young people in distress through the medium of art and exhibiting his own work about social issues.