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AFKA Cymru Conference: Care Planning for Stability and Permanence

AFKA Cymru is delighted to be facilitating a conference in partnership with the Independent Reviewing Officers in Wales.

This conference will provide an opportunity to explore how practitioners can promote placement stability alongside the agenda to remove profit from the care of looked after children. The day will also focus on care planning for Special Guardianship Orders as a route to permanence, as well as sharing best practice examples of reunification planning.

We welcome all practitioners from across Wales who are committed to improving placement stability and delivering effective care planning to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

7th October 2026 - Registration 10am for a 10:30am start. Close by 4pm Novotel, Cardiff

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Supporting Foster Carers Caring for Children with Neuro-Developmental Needs

This workshop is a practical, engaging training for foster carers and social work practitioners supporting children with neuro-developmental needs. The course builds understanding of how neuro-development, trauma, and the care experience interact, while offering realistic strategies to support regulation, communication, and everyday challenges. Designed to build confidence and improve partnership working, this training equips carers and professionals with the understanding and tools needed to better support children to feel safe, understood, and able to thrive. The course will encourage peer learning for a collaborative approach to supporting carers and improving outcomes for children in foster care.

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Finding and Building Adoptive Families for Children in Wales Good Practice Guide: Implications for Practice

This FREE webinar explores all five chapters of the NAS guide and what needs to happen at each stage — from pre-proceedings through to matching panel and Agency Decision.

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Safeguarding for Fostering and Adoption Panels

This course offers a chance to reflect on your role at panel in relation to safeguarding children. You will revisit important legislation that governs your responsibilities. Through the use of case studies and scenarios, you will explore and discuss what safeguarding means in practice, particularly in the context of assessing and reviewing foster and kinship carers. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to reflect on your personal and professional identity and how it may influence your role as a panel member.

8th September 2026 10am-3pm Online Workshop

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Assessing Adult Relationships

This course aims to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of best practices in the assessment of adult relationships. Participants will engage in an exploration of their own values and assumptions regarding relationships, encouraging self-reflection and awareness. This workshop will delve into the critical importance of various factors that influence adult relationships, including attachment styles and their impact on emotional connections. We will examine the role of motivation in relationship dynamics, as well as discussions surrounding sex and sexuality, recognising the complexities and diverse experiences that shape these aspects of relationships. The course will address challenging topics such as loss and infertility, emphasising the emotional and psychological impacts they can have on individuals and couples. By the end of the course, participants will have a richer understanding of the multifaceted nature of adult relationships and the skills necessary to assess and support them effectively.

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Accessing Social Media and Digital Competence in the Assessment and Supervision of Caregivers

Any evaluation of potential caregivers will include an assessment of their internet usage. Online activities and social media are important parts of life for professionals, caregivers, and the children in their care. This evaluation will not only explore the current and potential use of social media by caregivers but also assess their digital competence. Additionally, it will examine how caregivers can assist children in using technology responsibly in today’s digital world.

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Fostering and Adoption Panels – Key Roles and Responsibilities

This practical and engaging workshop is targeted at Panel Chairs, Vice Chairs, and Panel Advisors, however all panel members whether experienced or new will benefit. It explores these distinct roles and shared responsibilities within Fostering and Adoption Panels in Wales. The session aims to strengthen the confidence, consistency and impact of individuals in these roles reflecting on current challenges and dilemmas. There will be a focus on sharing experiences and developing good practice within the regulatory expectations, quality assurance requirements, effective decision making and safe, child centred practice.

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Improving Placement Stability for Children Looked After in Foster Placements

This course is designed to bring the AFKA Cymru Good Practice Guide to life.
Practitioners will have the opportunity to discuss, reflect and learn from the guide and their peers which ensures that the good practice recommendations are afforded the opportunity to be embedded in practice. Practitioners will gain the tools and techniques required to support and build placement stability for vulnerable children and their foster carers.

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Everyone Needs a Secure Base: Secure Base and Support for Adoptive, Fostering & Special Guardian Families

In order to provide a secure base for children and young people, their parents and carers need to have a secure base themselves. The Secure Base Model, developed by Gillian Schofield and Mary Beeks, is an internationally recognised model for caring for children who have experienced abuse and trauma. The model has many applications that are valuable for social work professionals in their day to day duties. This training session will introduce delegates to the Secure Base Model for therapeutic parenting, the assessment of carers, assessment of adopters and foster carers and also consider its application for Support Provision.

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Lunch & Learn – The Role of the IRO – WEP & Flexible Arrangements for Kinship Foster Carers

Welsh Early Permanence offers children stability at the earliest opportunity.

The Fostering Panels and Care Planning (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2026 came into force on 1st April 2026. IROs will play an important role with monitoring flexible arrangements for kinship carers.

This lunch & learn session, designed for Independent Reviewing Officers, will look to strengthen practice and confidence in overseeing Welsh Early Permanence pathways and understanding their role in the new regulations for the Flexible Review and Visiting Arrangements for Kinship Foster Carers

The session will explore the Welsh policy context and the responsibilities of the IRO throughout the child’s journey.

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Lunch & Learn – IRO Practice: Placement With Parents & Adoption Reviews

This training session is designed specifically for Independent Reviewing Officers working within the Welsh context. The lunch and learn session will explore shifts in case law around Placement with Parents, their impact on care planning and review practice, and how IROs can provide effective oversight in a rapidly evolving legal landscape.

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Introduction to the Role of the Supervising Social Worker

Course Outcome

Confidence in understanding the roles and responsibilities of the supervising social worker and improved ability to support fostering households to be the best that they can be.

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Caring for Babies Affected by Neonatal Abstinence

Led by experienced medical and health specialists, this interactive workshop will:

Introduce you to the most common substances taken during pregnancy and how they affect babies.
Explore the short and long-term impact of these substances on infant development.
Provide practical guidance on caring for newborns experiencing withdrawal, including the specialist support they require.
Give you the knowledge and confidence to provide the best possible care.

Speakers –

Martin Simmonds – Consultant Paediatrician
Ann Saunders – Substance Misuse Specialist Midwife
Lis Hughes – Specialist Midwife

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Effective Annual Reviews

Coram BAAF has launched their new publication “Annual Reviews” for use in Wales with Welsh revisions and guidance written by Tracy Bowen from AFKA Cymru.

Annual Reviews are an essential part of our statutory support and supervision of foster carers. In this course, we explore how to complete an annual review well. We explore how to ensure the review meets the needs of the Fostering Service to be legally compliant, but also of carers to feel valued and supported, whilst keeping children at the centre of the process.

1st October 2026 10am-4pm Online Workshop

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Building Support Networks for Foster Carers

This course explores the importance of building strong, sustainable networks for foster carers, recognising that fostering can be rewarding and intensively demanding.

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Supporting Sons, Daughters and Other Children in the Fostering Household

This course explores the experiences of sons, daughters and other children living in the fostering households, recognising their vital role and the impact that fostering can have on them. It offers practical strategies to support their emotional well-being, manage changes in family dynamics and ensure their voices are heard and considered throughout the fostering process including assessment, preparation for placement and on-going support.

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AFKA Cymru Conference: Care Planning for Stability and Permanence

Supporting Foster Carers Caring for Children with Neuro-Developmental Needs

Finding and Building Adoptive Families for Children in Wales Good Practice Guide: Implications for Practice

Safeguarding for Fostering and Adoption Panels

Assessing Adult Relationships

Accessing Social Media and Digital Competence in the Assessment and Supervision of Caregivers

Fostering and Adoption Panels – Key Roles and Responsibilities

Improving Placement Stability for Children Looked After in Foster Placements

Everyone Needs a Secure Base: Secure Base and Support for Adoptive, Fostering & Special Guardian Families

Lunch & Learn – The Role of the IRO – WEP & Flexible Arrangements for Kinship Foster Carers

Lunch & Learn – IRO Practice: Placement With Parents & Adoption Reviews

Introduction to the Role of the Supervising Social Worker

Caring for Babies Affected by Neonatal Abstinence

Effective Annual Reviews

Building Support Networks for Foster Carers

Supporting Sons, Daughters and Other Children in the Fostering Household

AFKA Cymru are proud to work alongside: