The Big Conversation 2025 revisited the themes first explored in the Big Listen 2023, providing an updated picture of the experiences, pressures and priorities of child and family social workers and managers working across London and the South East.

We received an even stronger response in 2025, with 1220 replies (880 London and 340 from the South East). Every Local Authority and Trust had social workers respond, with many having tens of staff contribute. Notably, representation from Black and Global Majority respondents increased in the 2025 response overall (particularly in London), which is important given the differential experience highlighted in the Big Listen 2023.

• The findings point to modest but meaningful improvement. The incremental progress highlights that the continuous efforts made by employers has led to overall improvement that is sustainable. Local authorities and leaders have made changes that the children’s social care workforce are benefiting from.
• Whilst encouraging, against a backdrop of rising permanent social workers, reduced agency reliance and lower turnover rates and greater diversity of leadership highlighted in the 2025 social worker workforce census, the research also acknowledges that that these ‘green shoots’ are fragile and need to continue to be nurtured.
• The research also suggests that the workforce in both regions is positively disposed to the potential benefits of change as a result of the social care reforms and technological developments. The takeaway message was that the success of the reforms will depend more on implementation fidelity and resourcing than policy headlines.

–> Read the full Report here or by viewing below.

Since our last update in December, there have been major developments, including the publication of the Every Child Achieving and Thriving Schools White Paper and accompanying SEND reform proposals. These set out an ambitious long-term programme of change spanning inclusive mainstream education, early intervention, workforce development, accountability and funding reform. In parallel, local areas are now actively developing their Local Area SEND Reform Plans, and LIIA is working at pace to support London boroughs in interpreting these reforms and translating them into practical, evidence-led local action.

This edition reflects that context. It brings together key updates on national policy developments, insights from across London’s SEND programmes, and a wide range of tools, data and support available through LIIA to help local areas navigate this period of transition. It also highlights the growing suite of resources designed to support reform planning, including diagnostics, data dashboards, and practical implementation tools. Alongside this, we continue to share updates on pan-London programmes, workforce insights from the Big SEND Conversation, commissioning developments, co-production activity, and key practice and engagement opportunities across the capital.

We hope this bumper edition provides both clarity and practical support as colleagues continue to work through a period of significant change, and helps strengthen collaboration across the London SEND system as reforms develop.

As always, we welcome feedback and engagement, and encourage colleagues to make full use of the support available through LIIA during this important transition period.

This edition marks the start of a new series of updates, bringing you the latest news across the Programme. Highlights include progress on London’s RCC Development, Joint Commissioning with Health, London Accommodation Pathfinder, Pan-London Sufficiency, and more.

You’ll also find an overview of key national policy updates, along with an exciting line-up of upcoming pan-London workshops and networks.

You can read the newsletter below and download it here  ASYJ Leaders March 2025 Newsletter

Welcome to Practice Spotlight 2026!

Across London, your teams and multi-agency partners are transforming the lives of children, young people and families every day.

This year, we’re shining a light on new and emerging practice – the ideas taking shape right now, the sparks of change, the early innovations that deserve to be shared, celebrated and scaled.

Whether you’re shaping responses to national reform, testing new models of integrated working, building safety for young people, strengthening our workforce, or unlocking the power of data – your developing practice could inspire the whole region!

“What inspires me most about the Practice spotlight is that ideas don’t need to arrive fully formed. They grow in conversation, collaboration and curiosity. They take shape when people share their experiences, their frustrations, their hopes. And when we create the space for ideas to flourish, we unlock the creativity and potential that sits within every member of our organisation – it turns possibility into progress.”

Bev Hendricks, Director of Children’s Services, Merton

Submit your practice!

Choose from nine categories ranging from racial equity to early intervention, SEND to care leavers, multi‑agency safeguarding to placement innovation – all areas of practice are relevant and you can submit more than one example.

This is your moment to:

• Showcase your team’s impact
• Boost shared learning across London
• Gain regional recognition
• Shape the future of children’s services

Read more about Welcome to Practice Spotlight 2026.

We look forward to reading all of the submissions with the support of our regional sponsorship group and look forward to shining a spotlight on the practice that’s making a difference.

We’re pleased to announce the launch of The Big SEND Conversation – a London-wide workforce research programme led by the London Innovation & Improvement Alliance (LIIA) on behalf of the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS).

This programme brings together a workforce survey and a series of focus groups, designed to hear directly from the people who make SEND services work every day.

• Why are we doing this? The aim is simple: to inform change with not to the SEND workforce. We want to understand the realities of working in children’s SEND services, and your feedback will directly shape the priorities of the regional SEND Workforce Programme.
• Why now? SEND services are under significant pressure across the UK. With a Government White Paper expected in early 2026, this is a crucial moment for the workforce’s voice to influence upcoming reforms. Your insight matters; the more responses we receive, the greater the impact.
• Who is the SEND Workforce? The SEND workforce is diverse and multi-agency. Whether you work in a local authority, school, health organisation, or partner agency , and whether you are permanent, agency, or independent – we want to hear from you. The research is completely anonymised, and the survey questions will adapt to reflect your role.
• How can I take part? The research includes:
  • A survey open to all members of the SEND workforce, including multi-agency partners
  • A series of focus groups targeted to specific roles within the SEND workforce
• Why does your contribution matter? By taking part, you’re helping build a shared evidence base that will support local authorities and partners to improve how we recruit, support and retain the workforce. Findings will be shared directly with Central Government to influence national reforms – underlining the workforce as our greatest asset.

The London Safeguarding Children’s Executive has launched the Safeguarding Adolescents In London (SAIL) digital resource

The SAIL guidance provides comprehensive guidance designed to transform how practitioners, managers, and service leaders work to keep young people safe across the capital. Co-produced with contributions from respected voices across the sector, and developed by the London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA), SAIL represents a significant step forward in bringing coherence to adolescent safeguarding practice.

The guidance describes the principles and practice that, as statutory safeguarding partners, London’s local authorities believe should underpin the work of all agencies working with vulnerable young people. Florence Kroll CBE (Director of Children’s for Royal Borough of Greenwich, Chair of the Association of London Directors of Children’s Services (ALDCS) and Chair of the London Adolescent Safeguarding Oversight Board (LASOB)) talks about the significance of the work:

“Adolescent safeguarding rightly has a very high profile in London. We regularly hear about young people who suffer harm and exploitation in the capital. Some tragically lose their lives, often doing so at the hands of other young people. In this context everyone wants to do something.”

Florence Kroll CBE, Chair of the London Adolescent Safeguarding Oversight Board

Florence’s words capture a central challenge facing practitioners: the sheer volume of activity across local, regional, and national bodies can create what she describes as ‘a blizzard of initiatives’. At the end of the line are the practitioners who get on with the day-to-day work of building purposeful relationships with young people, often navigating busy adolescent safeguarding systems that, whilst designed to offer protection, can themselves inadvertently cause harm.

SAIL seeks to cut through this complexity. Working through its Adolescent Safeguarding Oversight Board (LASOB), the London Safeguarding Children’s Executive is bringing greater coherence to the work of partners and practitioners, ensuring collective energy is used to greatest effect.

A digital resource for modern practice

The evolution from the original handbook to this digital guidance has been made possible by the support of the London Safeguarding Children’s Executive, under the stewardship of Abi Gbago and Ade Adetosoye, and under the strategic direction of LASOB.

SAIL has been designed as a digital reference resource, providing a distinctive account of the ways of working with young people in London. The guidance contains a wealth of original material alongside links to authoritative sources of adolescent safeguarding guidance. The London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LiiA) editorial team and the many contributors who generated its content have approached this work as a labour of love – and one they intend to continue developing as policy and practice matures.

SAIL brings together theory, practice, and policy to equip you with the information and tools needed to develop your practice and enhance the effectiveness of the adolescent safeguarding systems you work within.

Whether you are a frontline practitioner building relationships with young people, a manager overseeing complex cases, or a service leader shaping strategic direction, SAIL offers evidence-informed guidance rooted in a shared set of principles. The resource draws on effective practice already taking place across London’s partnerships, with practitioners generously sharing their approaches so that all can learn together.

The ultimate goal of SAIL is to ensure that wherever a young person lives in London – and as they move around the city – they receive a response underpinned by a shared set of principles, evidence-informed practice, and a genuine understanding of adolescents, their contexts, and their lived experience.

This consistency matters. Young people experiencing exploitation or harm should not receive a different quality of response depending on which borough they are in. SAIL provides the framework for London’s safeguarding partners to deliver that consistent, high-quality practice.

A platform for continuous development

This digital resource is not intended as an exhaustive account of all aspects of adolescent safeguarding. Rather, it is a platform that will continue to be built upon and further developed as policy and practice evolves. The guidance represents London’s collective commitment to enhancing adolescent safeguarding practice and keeping young people safer.

“We hope that you find this a valuable resource and that it fulfils its purpose of enhancing our adolescent safeguarding practice and keeping young people safer in London.”

Florence Kroll CBE, Chair of the London Adolescent Safeguarding Oversight Board

If you are working to safeguard adolescents in London, SAIL offers the evidence base, practical guidance, and shared principles to support your practice. Access the full digital guidance to discover how it can strengthen your work with vulnerable young people across the capital.

You can read the newsletter below and download it here  ASYJ Leaders July 2025 Newsletter