Upcoming event: The voice of families with lived experiences within the child protection and family justice system - looking back and moving forward
The voice of families with lived experiences within the child protection and family justice system - looking back and moving forward
Cathy Ashley and Angela Frazer-Wicks
Date/time: Monday 6th December 4.30pm
Details: Cathy Ashley is Chief Executive of the charity Family Rights Group and Angela Frazer-Wicks is its Chair elect. The Charity’s mission is to create a more socially just society in which the child welfare and family justice systems support children to live safely and thrive within their family, while strengthening the family and community networks of those children who cannot live at home.
Abstract: Partnership working, between the family and state to safeguard children and promote their wellbeing, is an underlying principle of the Children Act 1989. Yet 30 years on from its enactment, why does the reality often feel so very different for families involved with the child welfare and family justice systems? Cathy Ashley will explore the context, she will consider why families’ voices matter at an individual and strategic level, what can undermine partnership working and then will explore what academics, practitioners, policy makers and organisations can do, drawing upon real life examples, to engage in respectful partnership working with families.
Angela Frazer-Wicks speaks of her journey from service user to Expert by Experience. In the 13 years since she first began sharing her lived experience she has seen a dramatic shift in the way she, and others like her, are seen and heard. Angela hopes that by being involved in training and system design the support services offered to families will become tailored to their needs. Her aim is for children to be raised safely within their families wherever possible, and for care and especially adoption to be used only as a last resort.
To attend: Further details and booking information is available on Eventbrite by clicking here