Earlier this month, our Reviewing Officers conference brought together Reviewing Officers from all across the country, on the coldest day of the year so far(!) for a chance to enjoy in-person interactions whilst sharing best practice and research.

This conference is hosted by the Social Work Scotland Reviewing Officer subgroup – a supportive and practice driven forum who regularly share updates and ideas on how to improve the Reviewing Officer role, and ultimately support children and young people through the looked after system – and welcomed Reviewing Officers, related managers, and interested participants.

The event began with an incredibly insightful morning chaired by Social Work Scotland Convenor, John Trainer, hearing from Sharon Martin, Chair of National Independent Reviewing Officer Managers Partnership on ‘Where to begin’; a thoughtful and human contribution to warm us up.

Next up we saw the launch of the ‘Reviewing Officers Handbook 2024-2030’ created by Social Work Scotland Reviewing Officers subgroup, which is now fully available online!

Pre-lunch presentations included findings on ‘Learning from experiences of Section 25’ research from CELSIS’s Dr Brandi Lee Lough Dennell, and what Reviewing Officers need to know about ‘Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024’ by CYCJ’s Deborah Nolan – exploring the impacts of such new legislation on the Reviewing Officer role.

To round off the day, Dr Helen Whincup, Senior Lecturer at the University of Stirling, summarised the key findings from their ‘Permanently Progressing Phase 2: Middle Childhood’ research, discussing ‘building secure futures for children’.

An excellent day full of fresh, thought-provoking findings (and even fresher temperatures), equipping and reinvigorating the Reviewing Officers for their roles.

A huge thanks goes out to all who attended, engaged, and participated.