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Who is this workshop for?
Our Working with your local authority children’s services workshop is open to all kinship carers living in England.
This workshop will give you the knowledge and skills to work better with your local authority children’s services.
It might be helpful to you if you’re already working with or about to work with your local authority children’s services and you want to know:
- what your rights are and what to expect when working with children’s services
- what support your local authority children’s services should be offering
- what looked after child status means
- what to do when things go wrong
What will be covered?
In this interactive workshop, you’ll learn:
- how to find your kinship local offer and understand what support it offers you
- the role of a social worker and others within children’s services
- how to confidently raise issues and take forward complaints
Our friendly facilitators, who have knowledge, expertise and lived experience of kinship care, will explain things clearly and in an engaging way. There will be an additional 30 minutes after the workshop to answer your questions and to give you a chance to speak with our facilitators and other kinship carers.
After the workshop you’ll receive information and the presentation slides by email, along with a feedback survey.
How to join the workshop
All workshops will be held online using a free platform called Zoom.
You can access Zoom through a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or even your phone. You may need to download Zoom before you join – please factor in time to do that. The best experience will be through a computer or laptop. Watch a video on how to join a Zoom meeting.
To join the workshop, click on the Zoom link in the email we sent you.
Please make sure you:
- join on time – late joiners might not be admitted after 15 minutes
- have a pen/pencil and paper to make notes
What happens if you need to cancel your place?
We understand that life gets in the way sometimes, so if you need to cancel your place please do try and let us know as soon as possible.
You’ll be able to do this through:
- the email confirmation you received when you first booked
- or by filling out our training and support enquiries and complaints form
Who runs this workshop?
The workshop is run by our Kinship team, which includes kinship carers.
About Julie
Julie is an experienced online training facilitator who has worked with families and children for many years, the last five years here at Kinship. She uses her experience and knowledge to support kinship families with valuable training, always looking for ways to improve what is available. Outside of work, Julie stays busy. She loves music and has been a huge fan of para-athletics since the London 2012 Olympics, often attending events. When relaxing, she enjoys reading novels or walking on her favourite beach in Norfolk.
About Bennet
Bennet grew up as a kinship child. They know how challenging kinship care can be, and what a difference it can make in a child’s life. Over the past 20 years, Bennet has worked as an educator with families in South Africa, America, and England, and has developed a passion for mutual aid and community building. Even difficult challenges feel easier when you can talk to people who understand what you’re going through. Bennet also volunteers with several LGBTQIA+ organisations and spends the rest of their free time either reading, or with dogs. Or, if they’re lucky, reading with dogs!
About Amanda
Before Amanda joined Kinship, she worked as a Family Practitioner for a local authority. With 18 years of experience helping and supporting kinship carers, she has gained a lot of knowledge and understanding of kinship care. Amanda is married with 2 grown-up children and has a busy social life. She loves music and often goes to concerts and musical theatre shows. In her free time, she likes to read, watch films, and walk her 2 dogs.
About Izzy
Izzy has over 12 years of experience in the education sector, supporting young people, particularly international students to access higher education. She is passionate about working with people from diverse backgrounds, building relationships, and helping others achieve positive outcomes. Izzy is also an auntie and kinship carer to her young niece, giving her lived experience of navigating court proceedings, stepping into a caring role, and more recently, the “terrible twos.” She understands both the challenges and rewards of kinship care and is passionate about supporting others through shared experience. Outside of work, Izzy enjoys travelling, music festivals (especially celebrating her birthday at Glastonbury), watching Arsenal play, making the most of the Cornish coast, and any excuse for fancy dress with friends.
Get in touch
If you have any questions or concerns about this or any other event, our team can help. Just fill in our training and support enquiries and complaints form and someone will get back to you.
Did you know we run workshops and events for kinship carers all over England? Browse our upcoming workshops and events now.
Register for this workshop
To register for your free place, complete our short form.
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