Events
Kingston and C-SWIR Joint Social Work Conference 2026
Please note: if your organisation does not support the use of Zoom, you will need to register and log-in via your personal email account. Please notify the event administrator at SocSci-ResearchTeam@sussex.ac.uk
About the conference: Residential care continues to play a vital role in supporting children, young people, and adults with complex needs, while facing renewed scrutiny and calls for reform. In this online conference, we bring together national and international speakers to explore the latest evidence and innovation shaping residential care practice. The event will consider how research, policy, and practice intersect to improve outcomes and reimagine the purpose and potential of residential care.
The conference is free to attend for participants who register.
Chair: Professor Malcolm Payne, Kingston University
Schedule:
9.30 – 9.45 Chair, speakers and organisers join
10:00 – 10:10 Welcome and introduction (Prof Malcolm Payne)
Session 1
10:10 –10:30
10:30– 10:50
10:50–11:10 .
11:10–11:25 Q&A for Session 1 speakers
11:25 - 11:35 Comfort break
Session 2
11:35 - 11:55
11.55– 12:15
12:15 – 12:25
12:25 – 12:45 Q&A for Session 2 speakers
12.45 – 12.50 Closing remarks (Prof Malcolm Payne)
12.55 – 13.00 Close
Confirmed speakers
Chair – Prof Malcolm Payne, Kingston University
Prof Lisa Holmes – University of Sussex – international perspectives on children’s residential care
Prof Susan Braedley, Carleton University, Ottowa, and Dr Christine Streeter, York University, Toronto –
Prof Rick Hood – Kingston University – stability and outcomes for children in children’s homes in England
Dr Sally Nieman
Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang, Director Lighthouse Pedagogy Trust