FEVACA

17/08/2026

📢 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 📢

We are excited to have Chris Nicholson back with us this year to share his incredible expertise!

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For children living in children’s homes, therapeutic communities or foster care the experience of leaving care, to return home, to move to independent living or aftercare services, means leaving known relationships and environments. Leaving the familiar for the unfamiliar, the known for the unknown stirs up conscious and unconscious processes in care leavers which are often expressed through increased behavioural and emotional pressure ultimately projected onto staff members. These processes, if unrecognised or poorly addressed, often reopen, widen and sustain the ‘relational ruptures’ that were established during their earliest years and decrease the likelihood of achieving successful outcomes.

In his presentation, he will explore how developmental and psychoanalytic ideas can be used to understand and suggest alternative ways of addressing care leavers’ needs. Work undertaken with care leavers at Donyland Lodge, which was a community for 14 boys in Essex is described.

We are looking forward to having Dr Chris Nicholson joining us again this year!

University of Essex

24/07/2026

📢 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 📢

The amazing Dr Kevin Gallagher joins us again this year to bring another great session to this year's conference!

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Kevin is a qualified social worker, organisational consultant, manager, and PhD graduate with nearly 30 years' experience in residential care and education. He joined Amberleigh Care Limited in 2015 and led its transition to 100% employee ownership in 2025. A passionate advocate for therapeutic residential care, Kevin is a Therapeutic Community Specialist at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and supports organisations across the UK to strengthen evidence-informed practice and quality.

Drawing on many years of operational experience and combined with academic analysis and wide sector reporting, this contribution considers some of the misunderstanding and assumptions at practice and policy level that have and continue to influence commissioning behaviour and now policy direction. There will be direct links made to the parts of our system where we see sufficiency worsening, how this is connected to media and political commentary, but also to make links to existing practice frameworks that are delivering solutions. Offering a counter-narrative based on practice, the session will pose questions on the future place of relational residential care over the next decade.

We can't wait to have Kevin join us once more!

17/07/2026

📢 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 📢

We are back with another amazing speaker, Dr Miriam Silver !

Her session draws on one of the largest datasets ever collected on the psychological needs of children known to social care: more than 20,000 BERRI assessments completed across the UK.

Consultant Clinical Psychologist Dr Miriam Silver will share what this data reveals about the children we support, challenging common assumptions about behaviour, trauma, neurodiversity and risk. You'll see how psychological assessment can help care providers move beyond managing behaviour to understanding need, enabling more targeted support and better decision-making.

The session will include new insights into the differences between children living in residential care and supported accommodation, emerging models of risk, and practical lessons for commissioners, providers and frontline practitioners who want to deliver consistent, high-quality, psychologically informed care.

We are thrilled to have Dr Miriam Silver joining us to share her insights and expertise - Thank you for joining us!

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07/07/2026

Are you in High Wycombe and looking for a highly rewarding role?

Then come down to the High Wycombe Job Centre Fair on Thursday 9th July 2026 from 10am-1pm to meet the team and possibly land your next role in support work!

With salaries starting from £31,800 and no qualifications required, if you have a love for young people, caring for others or making a difference, be sure to pop down!

07/07/2026

📢 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 📢

We are excited to welcome to our speaker line up the amazing Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang !

His session will share key learnings and recommendations from the Children’s Homes Workforce Professional Development Review. Drawing on engagement with practitioners, managers, sector leaders and other stakeholders, it will share what is needed to support a skilled, confident and professionally recognised children’s homes workforce, and what this means for the future of workforce development across the sector.

We are so excited to have Emmanuel back with us this year to share the findings of this insightful review! Thank you for joining us!

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Lighthouse pedagogy trust Department for Education

01/07/2026

Grab your Fevaca Conference 2026 ticket fast before they are gone!

You won't want to miss out!

Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1987144356262?aff=oddtdtcreator

email us at [email protected] for enquiries, for exhibitor tickets, new provider tickets and Local Authority tickets.

The future of Residential Childcare in the UK is in our hands!

so be sure to be part of the conversations -> Fevaca 2026 Conference tickets are now live!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fevaca-conference-2026-the-future-of-residential-childcare-tickets-1987144356262

Grab yours now!

24/06/2026

📢 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 📢

Another incredible speaker joins our ever exciting lineup - please welcome back the amazing Brian Hogan!

Thom Garfat once said relational care isn’t rocket science, but it is more complicated than that. Brian's presentation explores what relational care looks like in practice, drawing on experience to consider what managers and practitioners can do. It covers team wellbeing, setting expectations, restorative and reflective practice, and key theory, alongside Frank Delano’s “money in the bank” approach to relationships. It also highlights the importance of praise and sincere apology, using storytelling and real-world examples, with opportunities for discussion and shared reflection.

Brian Hogan brings over 36 years of public sector experience, specialising in secure residential care and leadership development. A former CEO with extensive governance experience, he now focuses on mentoring, reflective practice, and supporting emotionally safe team environments. His relational approach bridges theory and practice, helping professionals navigate the emotional demands of care work with resilience and compassion.

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24/06/2026

We are thrilled to share the outcome of our latest Ofsted inspection at Ammolite House!

Ofsted Inspection Outcome: Good in all areas

The report highlighted the high quality of individualised care, effective safeguarding practices, and stable leadership that continues to drive meaningful, positive change.

A huge well done to the entire Ammolite House team for their continued hard work, and most importantly, for their unwavering dedication to the wellbeing of the young people in our care.

Well done, Team Ammolite!

15/06/2026

What does it mean to be an ally?

We are midway through pride month and we wanted to share a simple way to check that you are being the best ally you can be!

A — Accept people for who they are.
L — Listen to LGBTQ+ voices and experiences.
L — Learn about the community, its history, and current challenges.
Y — Yield the spotlight when appropriate, using your voice to support rather than speak over others.

What it means to be an ally:
An ally actively supports and respects LGBTQ+ people, stands against discrimination, remains open to learning, and helps create spaces where everyone can be safe, included, and valued.

12/06/2026

📢 SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT 📢

It's Friday which means we have the pleasure of sharing another incredible speaker - Tom Ellison !

We are so happy to have Tom joining us this year to explore how anxiety is experienced in organisations working with those who have both experienced and act out trauma. There will be a particular focus on the projection and containment of anxiety and how leaders can support individuals and organisational systems to improve their ability to contain and process anxiety.

Tom Ellison has over 30 years’ experience in children’s residential care, education and clinical support, including more than 20 years in senior leadership roles. He is recognised for leading specialist services for young people with complex needs and successfully improving struggling organisations.

Tom founded Ellison Lynd Consulting to support local authorities and providers of children’s services and currently serves as a Non-Executive Director for three organisations. In 2025, he founded Elevate Professional Development, delivering leadership training and development for the children’s residential care sector.

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National Centre for Excellence in Residential Child Care