Newsletters
Our Regional Improvement Plan can be found here
If you would like to apply to be a SESLIP consultant, please follow this link to Kent Business Portal – KentBusinessPortal and after registering on the portal, search for Ref – SC240046 – SESLIP – DPS
Updates
Care Leavers Policy Worshop – NOW BOOKING
On Tuesday 14 October, 10-12, Oxford University’s Rees Centre is hosting online workshop as part of the Children’s Information Project to share the learning from two recent research studies and help us to plan some ways forward.
It is convened by the Rees Centre , University of Sussex, Become and North Yorkshire Council
The workshop will:
Hear the emerging findings from two studies which aim to better understand how outcome frameworks for care leaving services can better reflect what care leavers themselves say is important.
Work with care-experienced group facilitators to help refine a set of recommendations for policy and practice
Parenting disabled children and young people and those with Special Educational Needs
Foundations are pleased to invite you to online sessions for local leaders and practitioners. There will be two opportunities:
- Monday 6th October, 11am -12.30pm – please use this link to sign up
- Tuesday 14th October,10.30am -12.00pm – please use this link to sign up
Webinar details
The sessions will provide the opportunity to hear from the Foundations team who developed the Practice Guide and the Parent Carer who led the Anna Freud’s Parent Advisory Group and who was also part of the Foundations’ advisory group for this Practice Guide. There will be space to:
- Hear more about how this Guide’s Recommendations can support commissioning and de-commissioning cycles by using the best available evidence alongside local population and organisational data, professional knowledge and lived experience.
- Consider how the Key Principles can build on the work already going on in local areas to bring about whole-system culture change.
- Reflect on how parenting support can improve a range of outcomes for disabled children and young people and their parent carers.
- Use the guide’s Reflective Tool.
- Ask questions and hear from colleagues working across the country.
SESLIP QA Conference – NOW BOOKING
On Monday 8 December SESLIP is hosting a collaborative QA co-design event.
Headlines
On behalf of the SESLIP QA network, Kent Analytics has been research CSC QA processes and practices across the region.
This event will be an opportunity for QA leads and staff to participate in the co-design of new improved procedures based on the research findings.
Reminders From Previous Weeks
Insight to Impact: Intersectionality, AI and the future of children’s social care
On 15 September (3pm-6.30pm) Coram Innovation Incubator innovation@coram.org.uk is hosting Insight to Impact
At this cross- disciplinary event, leading voices will debate if innovation in AI can support professionals with analysis of the complex intersecting, sometimes cumulative, needs of children and young people, while allowing them to deliver with compassion and equity.
Panellists
Ade Adetosoye CBE: Chief Executive Officer of Bromley Council
Simon Bailey QPM, DL, CBE: Chair of the International Policing and Public Protection Research Institute at Anglia Ruskin University
Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein CBE: President of City St George’s, University of London
Isabelle Trowler CBE: Chief Social Worker for Children and Families and Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel member
Andrew Newman: Principal Data Specialist, Open Data Institute
Kevin Yong: Data and Tech Consultant, Coram
Matthew Wagner: Chief Analyst, Kent County Council
SESLIP Targeted Support
The SESLIP Targeted Support scheme is now open to enquiries from children’s services authorities in the south east.
This project is funded by the DfE’s RIIA grant and is open to both CSC and SEND.
Details
The prospectus introduces our dedicated Targeted Support Core Team, which includes experienced, ex-local authority leaders, who have worked at director, assistant director and principal programme manager levels,
The core team’s practice is enhanced by collaboration with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from across the full range of children’s services.
A bespoke package will be agreed at scoping stage.
For more information, or to become involved as a subject matter expert, contact Claire@clairewoodcockconsulting.com
Children in care with insecure immigration status
The Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) has published new guides to help social workers support those children in care with insecure immigration status.
Launch event
GMIAU are holding an online launch event for the guides, including training and information on different routes to immigration status and British citizenship for children in care. It will be online on 11 September at 10am-11.30am
British Citizenship for Children in Care – A Guide for Social Workers (pdf, 29 pages)
Annex FM: A Guide to Understanding and Completing Annex FM applications (pdf, 16 pages)
Regional Improvement Plan 2025-26
On 18 July 2025 SESLIP published our regional improvement plan for 2025-26
Headlines
The new regional improvement plan has 49 projects and a budget of just under £2m.
The plan incorporates our delivery plan for DfE’s RIIA grant of £1.6m to SESLIP for the current year
Tools & Templates
We have produced a Regional Improvement Plan (July 2025)
On 1 September Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU) published new guides to help social workers support those children in care with insecure immigration status.
On 29 August SESLIP published its Targeted Support scheme prospectus
On 23 July LGA published Children and young people’s mental health in their “Must Knows” series
On 22 July ECPAT UK published More than Words: how definitions impact on the UK’s response to child trafficking and exploitation
On 16 July 2025 Ofsted published Social care providers and places as at 31 March 2025
On 16 July Foundations (What works centre for children and families) published a new practice guide: Parenting Disabled Children and Young People
On 13 July Nesta published on open call for an Early Years Resident as part of the Nesta Residency Programme
On 10 July 2025 DfE published Families first for children pathfinder – Implementation and process evaluation report: early findings
On 10 July 2025 BMJ published Characteristics, outcomes, and maternity care experiences of women with children’s social care involvement who subsequently died: national cohort study and confidential enquiry
On 9 July Inclusion in Practice published Emerging Insights
On 7 July the Office of the Schools Adjudicator published its Annual Report for 2024
On 7 July DfE published Keeping Children Safe in Education for use from September 2025
On 7 July DfE published Keeping Children Safe in Education for use from September 2025
On 26 June Lucy Faithful Foundation published Everyone’s Safer:
Supporting effective leadership responses to harmful sexual behaviour in school
On 26 June DfE published Education and Health Care Plans data for Jan 2025
On 25 June Foundations published its Evaluation of Multi-agency Safeguarding Hubs
On 20 June Become published Moved during exams
On 19 June Women’s Aid published Nineteen more child homicides
On 17 June The Law Commission published the terms of reference for its forthcoming Kinship Care Project
On 12 June DfE published Stability measures for children looked after in England
On 9 June DfE published Supporting Families Whole Family Working: Informing Future System Reform Annual report of the Supporting Families programme 2024 to 2025
On 5 June Foundations published Understanding families’ experiences of being offered a Family Group Conference
On 5 June DfE publsihed Schools, pupils and their characteristics for academic year 2024/25
On 24 May the Family Justice Council published Covert recordings in Family Law proceedings concerning children: Family Justice Council Guidance
On 23 May HMIProbation published Transitional Safeguarding in youth justice and probation services: A scoping study
On 23 May the Centre for expertise on child sexual abuse published Support Matters
On 22 May DfE published Serious incident notifications for 2024-25
On 22 May the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel published a report on its Learning Support and Capability Project