Reflecting on our 2023 Practitioners’ Conference: Working as Partners to Safeguard Children from Domestic Abuse

Date: Tuesday, 06th Feb 2024 | Category: Uncategorised

“There is a vast amount of informative practice that is being shared” – Read on to find out more!

On 16 November 2023, BSCP held our annual conference at Millennium Point: ‘Working as Partners to Safeguard Children from Domestic Abuse’.

The conference brought together a wide range of expert speakers and insightful workshops, sharing valuable insights into how domestic abuse not only affects children and families, but how practitioners can spot the signs and help support victims. Attendees actively engaged in the Domestic Abuse Prevention Strategy 2024-2029, through the ‘Be Heard’ online survey and a BSCP survey to check practitioners’ confidence on spotting signs of domestic abuse and supporting child victims was also conducted, with live results on the day. It was a brilliant event with over 220 delegates, 65% of those attending for the first time. A selection of partners from Education, Birmingham Children’s Trust, Early Years, Faith groups, Health, Police, Private Voluntary Organisations, and more were in attendance.

Workshop Topics

What is Trauma-informed Practice and how can I be a Trauma-informed Practitioner?
Learning About the Impact of Domestic Abuse on Pregnant Women
Working in a Culturally Competent Way with Children and Families Experiencing Harmful Practices
Focusing on Risk for Children and Young People Living in Homes where there is Domestic Abuse
A Tool to Empower Your Practice: Perpetrator Mapping
The Complexity Surrounding Teenagers Affected by Domestic Abuse

Keynote Speeches

Domestic Abuse Commissioner for England and Wales, Nicole Jacobs, provided updates on the current legislation, and the important roles each front-line professional plays in responding to children and young people as victims of abuse in her talk: ‘Children and Young People Subject to Domestic Abuse and the National Picture’.

Clinical Psychologist and CEO of Innovating Minds, Dr Asha Patel, led the way with her inspirational Trauma-Informed Practice presentation, ‘Healing Together’ shared how trauma can impact working as a practitioner.
Director and Founder, H.O.P.E Training and Consultancy Ltd, Meena Kumari spoke about ‘Domestic Abuse through an Intersectional Lens’ on the impact of power and privilege on the experiences of victims and their children.
After watching the powerful Timekeeper video, Associate Professor, Dr Emma Katz, followed on with the ‘Impact of Coercive Control on Children’.

Did you know? If you missed the conference, you can watch the recorded talks on the BSCP website’s Conference Resources webpage.

In addition to the speeches and workshops, a key part of the conference was the Marketplace, where different organisations had stalls sharing their work with attendees. These stalls were a valuable opportunity for attendees to interact with practitioners and learn about their work in a more personalised manner. From interactive displays to engaging conversations, the Marketplace was a hub of activity. It was a great platform for attendees to network, gain insights and learn about the latest developments in their respective fields. At the BSCP stand, we asked delegates why they were attending the conference, here are some of the answers…

“Improved partnership working”
“To gain a better insight and to be able to offer better support for our pupils”
“Gain further knowledge and understanding”
“There is a vast amount of informative practice that is being shared”

As part of feedback received following the conference, attendees highlighted the most memorable event activities were the guest speakers and virtual reality workshop sessions. 100% of respondents said that their knowledge of “Working as Partners to Safeguard Children from Domestic Abuse” improved as a result of attending the event.

We look forward to doing it all over again next year – we hope to see you there!