You can watch the full recording of the webinar here.
Kicking off the event, Dr Homden said: “Coram is a very old organisation, part of the origins of the children’s social care fabric. We’re meeting today in the midst of the biggest single change and crisis we have known since the war. The challenge is how is our past and present going to become a different future, and one in which children are able to overcome the challenges of this unprecedented time.”
In her opening remarks, Jenny Coles said that the “future is now” and highlighted four key themes:
- The renewed importance of inclusion and belonging for children in their home, community and within education
- Building resilience within young people as individuals, in their families, with their friends and as part of their communities
- The importance of attachment to children’s wellbeing
- And the ambition and excitement of what comes next for children’s futures, including the equality of access to health, education and future job prospects.
She said: “The impact of covid-19 is also the impact of the last ten years of austerity. We need sustainable funding to really address the impact of Covid-19, so we are able to ride out the challenges which for all of us working for children are going to come as we recover.”
Dr Homden concluded: “The choices we make now are writing the future path and the act of kindness we all do today and the act of professional support and guidance we give may continue to change the world, one life at a time.”