Delegates at the 2021 ALDCS LIIA Children’s Summit which took place via MS Teams on Wednesday 3rd February heard the Keynote Speaker Rt Hon Vicky Ford MP, the Children’s Minister describe her “heartfelt thanks to every single social worker and all of you who are working to support families and children … Your dedication throughout the pandemic has been nothing short of inspiring” in a speech which highlighted London’s position as one of the top performing regions in the country for children’s social care.
The Minister went on to highlight the importance of London’s Innovation and Improvement Alliance, particularly in respect of the region’s response to the pandemic, noting: “[LIIA] is an incredibly valuable partnership. The pandemic has highlighted the strengths of the alliance in creating arrangements which support a growing collaboration through sharing data, learning and good practice, strengthening relationships that have clearly helped you to face better the unexpected challenges of this time.”
More on the half-day Summit can be found at LIIA’s website, including speakers’ slides and a video recording of the event, including the three workshops. The event was invitation-only and was attended by Council Leaders and Children’s Services Lead Members as well as Council Chief Executives, Directors of Children’s Services and Assistant Directors.
Workshops were held on three current topics:
- Safeguarding Young People in London
- Tackling Disproportionality and Systemic Racism?
- Improving Quality, Choice and Cost in Children’s Placements
Other speakers included Sean Harris, Chief Executive, London Borough of Harrow, Chief Executive Lead Adviser for Children’s Services and Chair London’s Children’s Innovation and Improvement Board and Dr Lisa Holmes, Associate Professor, Rees Centre Oxford University.
The event was chaired by Cllr Elizabeth Campbell, Leader Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and London Councils Executive Lead for Schools and Children’s Services.
The conference was hosted by our partners at London Councils and we are grateful for their technical support.