We wanted to make you aware of our upcoming County Lines Digital Conference, taking place online on Wednesday 6th December, and that the Early Bird discount rate is expiring next Friday, 20th October. Book your place today with code EARLY4125 to secure 20% off.

Through the County Lines Programme and Drugs Strategy, disrupting county lines and safeguarding young people is a top national priority. Join us to hear about the latest guidance, legislation, funding and best practice. You’ll hear from Anne Rannard, Protect Lead at the National County Lines Coordination Centre, about identifying children who are being exploited and supporting victims to give their best evidence.

County Lines trafficking does not exist in a vacuum. It is a major, cross-cutting issue involving drugs, violence, gangs, safeguarding, criminal and sexual exploitation, modern slavery, and funds other illicit activities. There is an urgent need for joined up action and multi-agency approaches. At this timely event, we will bring together government, schools, police, prosecutors, councils, housing providers, charities, and other agencies to discuss what more can be done do to protect vulnerable children from being groomed into county lines gangs.

County lines gangs habitually prey on young and vulnerable children or ‘runners’ to sell their drugs up and down the country, sometimes from as young as 12 years old.** Grooming is an important part of what makes county lines possible. We will learn how grooming takes place, how to identify the signs, how to raise awareness among young people, and practical solutions to prevent it.

Don’t miss this opportunity to network with colleagues and take away practical solutions to tackle county lines in your community.

Key points:

• Identifying the signs of grooming into county lines
• Disrupting the transportation of drugs across the country
• Using technology to prevent drug gangs from laundering their money
• Multi-agency working to tackle county lines
• What next for the County Lines Programme?
• Protecting at-risk children exploited by county lines
• Learning from the experience of those on the frontline dealing with county lines

We look forward to bringing you the full line-up of expert speakers shortly.

* View Agenda <https://www.westminsterinsight.com/events/county-lines/?booking_code=PS2T-3762834>

* Book Now <https://www.westminsterinsight.com/events/county-lines/book/?booking_code=PS2T-3762834>

Digital Conference

Perinatal mental health (PMH) problems affect around 1 in 4 new or expectant mothers, covering a wide range of conditions.* With 40% of deaths within the first year after pregnancy being related to mental health, it’s vital families get the right help at the right time.*

Despite significant increases in funding for specialised Perinatal Mental Health (PMH) services since 2016, clear gaps in services remain. Join Westminster Insight’s Closing the Gaps in Perinatal Mental Health Services digital conference, as we discuss putting PMH and wider services at the heart of communities, ensuring all families receive timely and effective help.

Hear from Zoe Clark-Coates MBE, Co-Chair of the Pregnancy Loss Review, to get the latest updates on the review. Understand how you can provide sensitive care, using appropriate language, to families experiencing loss.

Leaders and experts-by experience, across perinatal and maternity services, mental health, social services, and the third sector will focus on early intervention and holistic PMH support.

Understand how you can improve cultural sensitivity, trust, and participation in services for underserved communities. We will spotlight the experiences of mothers from across Black, South Asian, Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities.

Hear from specialist services for those facing multiple adversities such as poverty, substance misuse, and domestic abuse, to understand how to tailor support for vulnerable women. Get inspiration on best practice from organisations such as Birth Companions, Action on Postpartum Psychosis, and Safe Lives.

We will also look at examples of impactful service provision specifically aimed at supporting fathers and LGBTQ+ parents. Scott Mair, Founder of the Fathers Beacon, and Dr Susan Pawlby, Chair of the Brazelton Centre UK, will explore reducing the risks and escalation of perinatal mental health problems, by using a family approach to service provision.

*MBRRACE-UK “Saving Lives Improving Mothers’ Care” report, November 2022

Book now

Join your colleagues from schools and colleges, police, local authorities, charities, children’s services, technology providers and online platforms at this timely and important event.

Join Westminster Insight’s timely Online Safety Conference, chaired by Susie Hargreaves OBE, CEO of the Internet Watch Foundation to understand the steps you can take to safeguard children online.

At this conference you will:

• Gain insights on the latest technologies and grooming tactics used by perpetrators of online abuse with representatives of the UK Council for Internet Safety, Ofcom, the National Crime Agency (NCA), Protect and Prepare Board, and The Lucy Faithful Foundation. 

• Hear a keynote address from Rt Hon Sir Jeremy Wright KC MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Digital Regulation and Responsibility, on the the implications of the Online Safety Bill, including new statutory roles and responsibilities.

• Hear from Snapchat’s global head of platform safety, Jacqueline Beauchere, on steps being taken to keep young people safe. 
• Learn directly from young people to understand what they need from you and how to mitigate the impacts of social media on young people’s mental health. 
• Will Gardner OBE, CEO of Childnet, and David Wright, Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre and CEO of SWGfL, will discuss how to effectively teach online safety to children and young people.  
• Attend a spotlight session on how to communicate online safety with neurodiverse children and young people.  
• Discuss working together to protect young people from harm – we will hear best-practice multi-agency responses to local online harms and peer-on-peer abuse.

Network with peers across the country on our interactive virtual platform. 

Book now

We wanted to make you aware of our upcoming Children Missing Education Digital Conference taking place online on Tuesday 26th September, and that the Early Bird discount is expiring next Friday, 23rd June. Join us to explore government policy and next steps to identify and safeguard children who go missing from school and support those unable to access education. Use code EARLY4030 for 20% off.

Keeping children in full-time education is the best way to equip young people with the skills they will need later in life. However, The Children’s Commissioner has expressed concern that an unidentifiable number of children across the country are not able to access education; the number of reported ‘Children Missing Education’ and ‘severe absence’ cases are still yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.

How can you address the key challenges, such as persistent/severe absence that damage future prospects and lead to Children Missing Education? Tackle the underlying barriers to attendance and deliver tailored support to help vulnerable young people stay in education.

Understand how life outside of school can impact student engagement and gain practical takeaways to support students experiencing emotional based school avoidance. Hear from mental health and attendance experts to gain insight on how to create inclusive educational environments that meet the needs of all pupils.

Understand how data can be used to identify Children Missing from Education and best optimise targeted support for your most vulnerable students. We will explore how you can improve safeguarding practices and ensure effective multi-agency collaboration.

Wherever you are in your journey to help Children Missing Education, join this event to keep up to date and connect with peers who are working towards direct and long-lasting change.

View Agenda <https://www.westminsterinsight.com/events/children-missing-in-education-digital-conference/?booking_code=email3T-3762834>

Book Now <https://www.westminsterinsight.com/events/children-missing-in-education-digital-conference/book/?booking_code=email3T-3762834>           

Webinar: Tuesday, June 20th 2023

There are approximately 412,395 charities in the UK, including 169,000 charities registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Charities employ around 950,000 people, almost three percent of the total UK workforce and generating a combined annual income of over £83 billion. However, the financial resilience of the charity sector was significantly weakened by the turbulence of the Covid-19 pandemic, as the proportion of charities with an income of more than £500,000 with no or negative free reserves tripled, from 9% to 28%, between April 2020 and July 2021. 25% of UK charities lost 40% of their income in 2020, with a £10 billion reduction in the sector and 60,000 job losses in the 2020/21 financial year. The cost-of-living crisis has served to further increase the pressure on charities. As demands have increased and economic uncertainty has surged, many charities have been forced to curtail or shut down operations. Furthermore, 2022 saw the lowest number of new charities registered with the Charity Commission since 1989.

In February 2022, the government’s Charities Act, which aims to ease the struggles encountered by many in the sector, receiving royal assent. Long-term savings are expected as a result of the Charities Act. The Act aims to tackle red tape, removing administrative and legal burdens which are currently placed on charities so as to save both money and time. The measures were proposed in response to the Law Commission’s 2017 report, ‘Technical Issues in Charity Law’. The Act contains five key elements: not only are updates to governing documents and land disposal made easier, but charities also now have greater flexibility with regard to permanent endowments, are able to pay trustees for goods provided, and have been given the ability to spend small donations without contacting individual donors for permission. According to the government, these provisions could save the charity sector £2.8 million a year and £28 million over the next decade.

Whilst the Act has been welcomed across the charity sector for the increased flexibility which it provides and the removal of much bureaucratic procedure, some have suggested that it is a missed opportunity to make fundamental reforms which could further support the sector. Such challenges have largely concerned the position and status of the Charity Commission, as the regulator must currently defer to the attorney general, requiring permission in order to fully exercise its powers. Some have suggested that the Act has failed to rectify these issues, and as such has left the sector with a ‘relatively weak regulator, which is heavily burdened and not well resourced’. Additionally, many charities have warned that rising demand could leave them struggling to cope, calling for greater investment in skills and more collaboration between charities, government and business so as to ensure resilience throughout more challenging periods. Critics also highlight that charities are increasingly having to take up roles previously carried out by the State.

This symposium is, therefore, a timely opportunity to assess opportunities for progress in the charity sector, evaluate the implementation and impact of the Charities Act and formulate strategies for a resilient future.

Programme

• Assess existing legislation affecting the charity sector and identify key challenges facing charities in the UK
• Evaluate the Charities Act 2022, its implementation and impact, and discuss opportunities for further legislative reform 
• Examine the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on charities across the UK, and share best practice for ensuring financial sustainability and dealing with rising demand amid stretched resources
• Discuss the support provided to charities by the government and suggest methods to more effectively address challenges
• Review the role of the Charity Commission in regulating the operations of charities and discuss ideas for strengthening the Commission’s powers
• Formulate strategies for ensuring the resilience of the charity sector
• Examine the role of charities and the activities, functions and services that charities carry out, which previously had been performed by the State, and discuss the most effective means of meeting needs
• Identify methods for improving and maintaining public trust and confidence in UK charities
• Discuss how better collaboration between charities, government and business might improve resilience
• Explore opportunities for greater use of technology by charities, considering the benefits of increased efficiency

To register for the briefing, please click here.