Children’s Minister; MP for Whitehaven & Workington; Mountain Rescue Volunteer; Charity Founder; Author of 2022 Care Review; Former Teacher
Cumbria
- Tweets 4,970
- Following 2,821
- Followers 14,194
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Looks like @reformparty_uk need to educate themselves. This is a Reform cllr calling children in care “evil”.
Children in care face the greatest disadvantage of any group in society. This kind of stigma on top only makes things worse.
I won’t hold my breath for an apology…
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On my way to Westminster for my first day at the new office! Bumped into fellow new Cumbrian MP Julie Minns to share the journey with.
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Delighted to share that I will be leading the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in England. It’s a once in a generation opportunity to transform a system that is needed to give the most vulnerable children safety, stability and love gov.uk/government/news/educa…
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Married my best friend. Ceremony halfway up a mountain, surrounded by our best friends & family. Sunshine and a party under a Tipi. Brilliant speeches. Celeidh dancing and an amazing show from @BrendaLaBeau. Best day of my life and it started with a 4 hour hike! 🏳️🌈 👬 #LoveWins
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My first speech as a Member of Parliament. I talked about the need to reform our children’s social care system, the wonderful people of Whitehaven & Workington and the need grow our economy through boosting clean power, especially new nuclear.
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Today I’m launching my Private Members’ Bill - the Safer Phones Bill - to protect children from the harms that can be caused by excessive screen time, and the use of social media and other apps, many of them addictive by design.
👉 saferphonesbill.co.uk
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NASA nears finish line of annual study of changing Antarctic ice climate.nasa.gov/news/2518/n…
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Thank you @JohnLewisRetail for putting the focus on children in care this Christmas!
It’s the things we do that mean the most. 🛹
#TheBeginner
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A top priority for me as a Member of Parliament and one I’ll stick with in the years ahead.
Labour MP Josh MacAlister is the author of the 2022 Independent Review of Children's Social Care.
He tells Big Issue how he's channelling this experience into his new role
bigissue.com/opinion/childre…
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An honour and a real surprise to be included in this New Years list! These awards go to individuals, but the work has always been a team effort. We’ve got our work cut out to make sure that the most vulnerable children get a fair chance. Looking forward keeping at it in 2024!
The King's New Year Honours 2024 list is now live.
Congratulations to all of this year's deserving recipients! 👉 gov.uk/government/collection…
#NY24Honours
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These kids aren’t evil. They are remarkable because of what they’ve had to overcome in childhood. They need all of us to pitch in and build a care system that helps them lead good lives.
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24 hours that left me needing a full sleep! bbc.com/news/articles/cljy3y…
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Great to be appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to @patmcfaddenmp, working alongside @LabourSatvir and the brilliant Cabinet Office team of @Georgia_Gould, @abenaopp, @D_G_Alexander, @NickTorfaen and @elliereeves. Looking forward to getting stuck in.
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Government’s children’s social care reforms deliver on a LOT of the recommendations from my 2022 review. The changes show this government is serious about reform. They are extremely welcome.
Real credit to @bphillipsonMP & @JanetDaby
🧵 on the details!
gov.uk/government/news/bigge…
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Great to hear from so many about the Independent Review. Here are some ways you can get involved:
🎙Share your advice forms.office.com/Pages/Respo…
⌨️ Join or promote our experts by experience group assets.publishing.service.go…
📮 Register for updates forms.office.com/Pages/Respo…
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Today @reviewCSC publishes its final report & recommendations.
We need a fundamental reset in children’s social care. The review offers a plan to break the cycle of escalating need & crisis intervention, rebalancing ch’s social care to back those who care for & love children.
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I’ve written to the @CMAgovUK asking them to open an investigation into aspects of the children’s social care ‘market’. It would provide important evidence for the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.
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Asking my very first question in the House of Commons earlier today. I asked about the infected blood scandal and when parliament will look at the next steps to compensate victims.
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I miss a lot of Mountain Rescue callouts with being stuck in London midweek, but I’m keen to join my team when I can like I did this weekend.
2024 has been one of the busiest years for MR teams in the Lakes. My team alone has had > 100 callouts and we’re not even the busiest.
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Campaigners with lived experience of children’s social care shared their stories and hopes for change with @10DowningStreet and @Keir_Starmer this afternoon. Thank you to everyone for listening. Resetting the system for children and families will take a cross party effort.
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Government have published the first ever Kinship Strategy today- in response to the care review. The big decision is to start rolling out a financial allowance for kinship special guardians, paid at the same rate as the foster care allowance. A positive step forward.
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Councils have a critical role to play for these kids. Both as the legal corporate parent but also because they deliver family services.
Great services with support from a community of neighbours, foster carers, businesses and others is transformational for these children.
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It starts with love...
This can be a pivotal moment for children’s social care.
We hope the #carereview inspires thousands of adults across the country to #stepupforchildren and offer love & support to children and families.
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Take the time to watch Teens in Care by @realjoeswash. Exposes many of the amazing children and foster carers as well as the problems that need fixing.
bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0…
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Incredible to have had over 1,000 applications to join the Experts by Experience group! I’ve been inspired reading about the amazing work that these experts do to bring about positive change for children & families. Thank you to all who applied.
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Fascinating experiment. Will be very interesting to see the impact on longer term outcomes for the 500 care experienced people who will be taking part bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-poli…
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10 yrs ago I left teaching to set up @FrontlineSW to get thousands more children access to a great social worker and to build a network of leaders for change. Special to see so many staff, supporters, alumni and care leavers at the 10 yr anniversary who’ve made it a reality!
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Very excited for Monday when we'll be welcoming our 7th and biggest cohort yet, onto the @FrontlineSW programme. Over 460 people joining a fantastic community of social workers making social change happen. It won't be in person this year but it will still be magic 🚀
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🇮🇹 Italian residential care for children:
✅ Keeps children closer to home
✅ Offer the range of homes children need
✅ Run on a not-for-profit basis
✅ Staff have degree level qualifications
✅ Delivered by 20 regional bodies, not 153 services
✅ 1/4 of the cost of English homes
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After 8 years I've now had my final board meeting and final week at @FrontlineSW. What an incredible journey it's been working with some of the most fantastic people. I've clocked up a few grey hairs, some valuable lessons and lifelong friends along the way.
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Final day of a hugely successful summer institute that marks only the end of the beginning for the 2020 cohort. In September they'll start working with children and families. Enjoy the well earned rest and thanks to the team at @FrontlineSW for pulling it together🎉
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Families have been telling me throughout the review that a small bit of help and access to support could have prevented them reaching a crisis stage and avoided much more intrusive involvement from children's social care.
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The government's strategy for reforming children's social care takes us in the right direction. Now let's go further and faster to transform children's social care medium.com/@josh.macalister/…
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Today we’re publishing the @reviewCSC Case for Change report. It sets out what we’ve made of the evidence submissions and conversations we’ve had since we started the #CareReview in March. The main themes we’ve identified are… childrenssocialcare.independ…
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Good luck to @FrontlineSW participants this morning. To the 2020 cohort of over 460 participants starting in their local authorities or children's trusts this morning. And to the 2019 cohort who are starting to become newly qualified social workers!
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Welcomed our 5th cohort onto the Frontline programme last night. 340 people starting their journey in social work and social change! Our biggest and most diverse cohort yet.
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Very good news- a practical reformer for our broken justice system. Congratulations @JamesTCobbler.
James Timpson OBE @JamesTCobbler has been appointed Minister of State (Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation) in the Ministry of Justice @MoJGovUK.
ALT James Timpson OBE appointed Minister of State (Minister for Prisons, Parole and Probation) in the Ministry of Justice.
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In 2022, I called for the end of care leavers needing to make themselves ‘intentionally homeless’ just to get suitable housing.
Yet in the last 5 years the number of care leavers (18-20) becoming homelessness has increased by 54%.
That’s why this decision by gov is so welcome!
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Very proud of @matthewhood for getting an OBE. Been amazing to watch the work he and the @OakNational team have done since April schoolsweek.co.uk/11-special…
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This is bleak.
I wonder what it could be about their platform that means children would need “guided meditation” in response?
TikTok will now show teenagers guided meditation sessions if they're scrolling past 10pm 📱 trib.al/ZvxLMTJ
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🚀 Some good news!
Yesterday the government amended the Children’s Wellbeing Bill to extend ‘corporate parenting duties’ for children in care & care leavers beyond local authorities to include:
- all government departments
- schools and FE colleges
- NHS bodies
- inspectors
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First day chairing the review. Spent this morning meeting children and staff (and a few chickens!) at two children's homes. You can now follow the review at @reviewCSC and find out more on the newly launched website: childrenssocialcare.independ…
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Like most people I've found the details of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes’ death hard to read and the misery and cruelty he was subjected to hard to comprehend. Arthur’s story is a tragic reminder of how important child protection is. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-59519562
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Today MPs will be debating the findings and recommendations from Independent Review of Children’s Social Care ahead of the government’s response committees.parliament.uk/com…
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Earlier this week I gave evidence to @LordsPublicSCom on the government's response to the Care Review to alongside @annelongfield. Session covered the need for more intensive help for families, through to kinship care and the need for more foster carers parliamentlive.tv/event/inde…
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You bump into @FrontlineSW fellows everywhere! Katie was in our first cohort. She's now managing a programme reintegrating ex-child soldier and training 20 para social workers who are supporting over 1,000 children in Nigeria! Inspiring to catch her whilst on holiday 👏
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At the #ItsOurCare event in parliament, a teenager from Hull handed me a keyring with a QR code link to this amazing video, 'Dream On'. Warms the heart, says it straight and reminds us what needs to change. Nice work @hull_voice and @MyPocketsArts mypockets.co.uk/dream-on
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Well worth 30 mins of your time to understand what’s going on in the market of children’s homes. Thanks to @Peston and @StephLunch for shining the spotlight.
This week, we're just looking at one story.
And it's an important one.
This is the story of private equity firms and sovereign wealth funds, directly making hundreds of millions of pounds off children's care, at the UK taxpayer's expense.
open.spotify.com/episode/3z0…
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We’ll be bringing 900 more great people into social work across 2020 and ‘21. 6 years after starting @FrontlineSW I’m delighted that our work to transform lives of the most vulnerable children and their families will continue into the next decade.
“Children’s social care is only as good as the people who deliver it, which is why we want to recruit the best into social work,” – says @DamianHinds as he announces £45 million funding for @FrontlineSW to recruit more #socialworkers gov.uk/government/news/fundi…
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"Don't we feel we owe it to them - and society as whole - to sort this out?"
New documentary from @michaelsheen lifting the lid on the care system. Focussed on Wales, but many of the same problems exist in England.
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-6195…
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Met this amazing group of young people with various experiences of children’s social care yesterday. With the support of @childrensociety, they want to see big changes to support for families, young carers and those with care experience.
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One year since the care review was published.
Some very positive changes are starting to be made but new analysis shows that delaying the national roll out of reforms is going to be very expensive.
The financially prudent thing to do would be to invest big, now.
An extra 10,500 children could go into care in England, costing £1bn more over ten years. That's the conclusion of research exclusively shared with @Channel4News by five leading children's charities:
@C4Ciaran has been looking at the numbers.
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Big and welcome news:
✅opening up planning for new nuclear projects across the country
✅setting up a taskforce to review overlapping nuclear regulation
✅giving certainty to nuclear developers
This will break down barriers to investment, boost growth and spread opportunity.
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Finally, a plea from me that we be a bit more generous with one another on social media. It’s a notoriously bad forum for discussion but we can disagree without being disagreeable
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Moving to be sat at the back of the new Cumberland Council meeting listening to @TerryGalloway make a statement about the importance of making the care experience a protected characteristic. The new Cumberland authority has agreed to lead the way.
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Day spent with children & families, foster carers, social workers & children’s home staff in Warrington. Honest, hard and hopeful conversations. Joined a looked after child review meeting and came out covered in dog hair thanks to lovely Sadie! Thanks @AmandaAmesbury & team 👍
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Doing one of my favourite things. Running in the fells with the pack on a frosty sunny wintery day!
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2) Recruitment to an Expert by Experience Group- I want the voices and experiences of children, young people and families who have or have had social workers to be at the centre of the review. Again, I’ll share the link about applying to join the group later today
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Looking forward to getting started with @jocasebourne! Bringing together the talent and work of @TheEIFoundation and @whatworksCSC into a new What Works Centre is a chance to go further and faster in building, promoting and embedding evidence in services for children and families
Today is a milestone in creating What Works for Early Intervention & Children's Social Care
We are pleased to announce @JoshMacAlister has been appointed executive chair, and @jocasebourne as CEO, to lead the merger of @TheEIFoundation & @whatworksCSC
buff.ly/3Vwk65U
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1) A Call for Advice- I want your guidance on what I should be reading, who I should speak to and the questions that the review should be asking. It’s quick and easy to complete and I’ll read every response myself. I’ll share the link when it’s live.
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Thanks for visiting @bphillipsonMP. Labour backs nuclear, and the skills needed for the future of the industry.
Joined our fantastic local candidate @JoshMacAlister today to meet staff, students, & apprentices at the National College for Nuclear in Workington.
Labour backs nuclear energy and high skilled unionised jobs for the future.
ALT Photograph shows Shadow Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson with Labour parliamentary candidate for Workington and Whitehaven Josh MacAlister outside the National College for Nuclear, Workington, Cumbria, 5 June 2024.
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Expression of interest to join the Experts by Experience Group for the Independent Review of Children's Social Care closes tomorrow. Details here and we've clarified that people won't be asked about their personal experience at any point in the process: assets.publishing.service.go…
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The largest @FrontlineSW selfie yet? Certainly our largest ever cohort! Thanks to @AshleyJBaptiste for welcoming the 2019 cohort.
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Radical reform of children's social care needs to be at the top of the new PM's in-tray. Ambitions to level up, spread opportunity, tackle inequality and balance public spending will be unachievable without big action to improve these services for children and families.
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Proud to be in the @Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe. Equally surprised to see social work mentioned in Forbes! A first? forbes.com/30-under-30-europ…
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Started the day with brilliant fostering families, in person and on screen. This group of families support each through the Mockingbird model which involves creating an extended family network around children. As they all told me: “Fostering Takes a Village”
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Leading the review means I’ll be leaving @FrontlineSW. I’ve spent 10 years developing Frontline, 8 as CEO, and it's been a highlight of my life. I’ll bid a proper farewell before I leave at the end of February but I know FL under @meeryp & team will go from strength to strength!
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There are 3 big ‘dilemmas’ we’re grappling with at @reviewCSC and they don’t have easy answers. We’re sharing these to bring people into the conversation and we’ll be holding events in the coming months to explore these more childrenssocialcare.independ…
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Over 750,000 children have a social worker, 30,000 dedicated professionals run the system and it costs nearly £10bn. No one person has the answer for how to improve this system but getting this review right is crucial for thousands of children & families
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Day spent with brilliant young people, staff and @stuartcarlton & @martinkelly_2 in @northyorkscc seeing their No Wrong Door approach. Celebrated a birthday, met the dog and heard powerful stories of keeping children connected, no matter what.
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I’ve been asked questions about the Experts by Experience group. I want to share the thinking behind the decisions I’ve taken so far. Many reviews start with a pre-set panel that has been directly appointed. When I was asked to lead this review, I wanted to do things differently
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Having called in Jan for the @CMAgovUK to investigate the cost and availability of homes for children in care, it's v good news that they've decided to start a market study.
My thoughts: childrenssocialcare.independ…
CMA Details: gov.uk/government/news/cma-l…
I’ve written to the @CMAgovUK asking them to open an investigation into aspects of the children’s social care ‘market’. It would provide important evidence for the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care.
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Good news. A rent guarantor scheme for care experienced young people is something that every local authority could put in place now. If you want to make progress on this as a council then get in touch with @maryhodd who can give you advice on how to implement it.
An exciting morning, sending my Guarantor Scheme documents to Buckinghamshire as they look to implement the Scheme. Brilliant news for their care experienced young people.
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Thank you to all of the organisations putting a spotlight on child and family services at Labour conference this week! Lots of demand for high quality evidence and putting it into practice which is what @FoundationsWW has to offer.
Our third and final speaker, @JoshMacAlister Executive Chair of Foundations, the What Works Centre for Children and Families:
#LPC23 #ChildrenAtTheHeart
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Lucky to meet young care experienced people from Plymouth in parliament today. They were sharing their stories of care through their “Walk A Day In My Shoes” exhibition. Ministers may change but commitments to these children and young people need to be kept.
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The proposals for the mine were never going to provide the long-term jobs that West Cumbria needs. It’s a risky bet on a dying industry. And Tory incompetence led to it being tied up in the courts 1/1 bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c99w…
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The @reviewCSC has heard from lots of children & care experienced adults about the impact of being separated from their brothers and sisters when in care. It's an example of when our care system breaks important relationships. Thank you @AshleyJBaptiste for spotlighting this.
My doc on sibling relationships in the care system is out tomorrow on @bbcthree @BBCiPlayer & will be covered on @BBCNews I’m nervous. It’s an important one but also v revealing. A HUGE thanks to the best team: @BlancaMuMar @TheAnisaSubedar @KimRowellTV @GerardGroves and more 👊🏽
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Peter, my step dad, played a huge part in raising me and my brother. He died two weeks ago and the local @PoppyLegion did a moving guard of honour at his funeral on Friday. He would have been at the Moffat parade today. Lots to reflect on this #RemembranceSunday
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Busy but brilliant end to the week. Started the day talking all things children, kinship and risk with the fantastic team in Leeds City Council. Lots for the @reviewCSC to learn from their hard thinking, commitment and expertise.
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Spent the morning dashing around London welcoming 200+ soon to be @FrontlineSW participants onto the programme! Huge energy from graduates and career changers wanting to make social change happen!
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The big risk in children’s social care is that we don’t take this moment to change course in a big way. Interview with @annatthemj at @themjcouk
.@JoshMacAlister says he is still expecting the Government to respond to his independent report on children’s social care by the end of the year. The risky decision is to ‘do nothing’, he believes. @annatthemj reports.
⬇️
bit.ly/3fuh1mP - free to read
#NCASC22
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Government will be publishing big plans for children’s social care later today. They’ll show that ministers are serious about reform. Huge credit to @bphillipsonMP, @JanetDaby and DfE team for getting on with implementing long awaited changes.
theguardian.com/society/2024…
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All praise to this Headteacher, @MrsSHC. Graceful, steady and clear leadership in the face of discrimination and ignorance 🏳️🌈
The headteacher of a #Birmingham school at the centre of a row over #LGBT inclusive classes says the damage protesters are doing to the school, and its pupils and teachers, is 'almost immeasurable'.
To read the full story, click here: po.st/ug9VSV
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There'll be a few tired eyes and whirring minds after week 1 of the @FrontlineSW summer institute! 2020 cohort- have a well earned break this weekend. Too many to thank but shout out to special guests @lemnsissay & @HackneyChild and @Albrownrigg for leading the team this week🎉
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Ahead of the Case for Change being published, I’ve started to set out some of the issues we’re identifying. I was interviewed by @EmilyDugan as Sunday Times have been doing a series on growing investigations of parents. This is an issue the @ReviewCSC will highlight. Thread…
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Buying books for my nephews a few weeks ago and stumbled across this. Social workers featuring as an aspirational career for children. And who knew Senator Barbara Mikulski had a supernova name after her?! ✨
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A morning of powerful conversations with children at Aycliffe Secure Children’s Home as part of @reviewCSC. Thank you to the children for sharing and to staff for organising.
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10 YEARS (😬) after graduating from @EdinburghUni I’m back at the careers fair banging the drum for @FrontlineSW with our team. Great to meet the current @EdUniPresident too!
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Listening to the brilliant @AshleyJBaptiste on @BBCRadio4 Saturday Live just now - a reminder that the care system leaves far too many children without connection, identity and love. Have a listen.
So much needs to change.
Hi everyone. I am delighted to share that my debut book, Looked After: A Childhood in Care, will be published by @HodderBooks in June ‘24. About my time care, I hope it shines a light on the system. Amazed & humbled to have a book on the way. ❤️ Pre-order now. Link in bio💫👌🏽
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Recently made it to the Cairngorms in the north of Scotland to join my mountain rescue team for winter training.
An opportunity to learn new skills and switch off from politics for a bit!
This training is only possible thanks to volunteer training leads and generous donations
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Proud of this one. It's been amazing to see my husband build the Institute for Teaching and now contribute to @Ambition_Inst. There will be bigger things to come but what a legacy!
5 years ago I wrote an article about the need for us to think harder about educator expertise. Things got a bit out of hand and my superb team are now working with ~6000 teachers & leaders each year! Bittersweet but leaving @Ambition_Inst in safe hands tes.com/news/matt-hood-leave…
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I’ve been luck to meet many remarkable kinship carers- as the chair of the care review & now as an MP. @kinshipcharity’s report reveals how children raised by relatives & friends are missing out on the support they need. Recent progress but more needed. kinship.org.uk/forgotten-rep…
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A story by @Sanchia7 that show just how much needs to change in the care system. Homes for children built where houses are cheap rather than where children live. Gaps in oversight. A system driven by profit. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62479564
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Thank you to everyone who contributed to this and to the @OurCareOurSay2 team for pulling it together. I've read and heard these clear messages from care experienced people about what they want from this review.
One week on from the announcement of the Care Review in England, the ’Our Care, Our Say’ report sets out what care experienced people think should be done. The report is dedicated to our dear friend Yusuf Paul McCormack ❤️Download via the #OCOS website: ourcareoursay.wordpress.com/…
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