Programme - Day 1
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Welcome and introduction
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Online Safety Act update: Progress so far and what professionals need to know
This session will provide an update on the Online Safety Act, which is designed to protect children and adults online and became law in October 2023. It will look at progress in implementing the legislation to date, how platforms have adapted and what changes children want to see next. It will also explore what the legislation means for children’s professionals and implications for practice.
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Responsible use of AI in children’s social work
This session will explore the ethical implications of responsibly using artificial intelligence (AI) in social work with children and families. It will discuss:
• Potential advantages of using AI such as reducing time spent on admin to allow social workers to focus on direct work with children and families
• Whether potential benefits are outweighed by risks including biases that may perpetuate existing inequalities in society
• Strategies for responsible use of AI
Speakers
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Digital youth work: community, culture and curiosity
This session highlights the importance of staying curious and connected in today’s digital world. It will examine what youth work looks like in a digital context and discuss the role of technology in our lives and in the lives of young people. It will share findings from the latest research by the National Youth Agency as well as insights and learning from the body’s new Digital Youth Work Standards.
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Break
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Holistic approaches to supporting young people with SEND in engaging with the online world
This session focuses on work conducted over the last four years to explore attitudes around young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) engaging with online services. It will feature a resource developed with the support of the SEND community to provide clear, simple advice to professionals so they can enable young people to positively engage with the online world with appropriate support in place.
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Innovation sweet spots: Digital technologies for the early years
There is a growing wave of innovation in digital technologies aimed at supporting child development in the early years. This session will explore the potential benefits and challenges including regulatory gaps, resource limitations and the need for stronger evidence on safety and effectiveness.
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Digital beats and digital stories: Using cutting-edge tech to demonstrate outcomes
Noise Solution is a life-changing music mentoring project for vulnerable young people. It has developed an innovative digital platform that allows parents, carers and children’s services professionals to be part of a young person’s mentoring journey. That same platform also captures and analyses changes in wellbeing using AI and cutting-edge video analytics, helping solve systemic issues around demonstrating outcomes in youth services.
Close of day 1
Programme - Day 2
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Welcome and introduction
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The oncoming storm: Generative AI and child safeguarding
This talk will explore the emerging challenges posed by generative artificial intelligence (AI) to child safeguarding. It will examine how AI tools like chatbots and image generators can potentially be misused to create inappropriate content, impersonate others, or bypass content filters, putting children at risk. The presentation will conclude with practical strategies for professionals to stay ahead of these threats and maintain a safe learning environment.
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Using digital care to support the mental health needs of children and young people
Digital is the next generation in healthcare delivery but for some providers the gap between clinical teams and technology can be a barrier. This presentation will show how healthcare organisations worked with clinicians to implement and embrace a digital care delivery method for children, young people and their families.
Speakers
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Understanding online grooming and how to prevent it
This session will cover recent research with adult men who engaged in online grooming offences. It will outline pathways into illegal behaviours and discuss prevention and intervention approaches.
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Break
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News, misinformation and young minds: Building confidence and critical literacy skills
The rise of digital and social media has rapidly transformed the way children and young people access information. This session will explore how to better equip young people with the confidence, knowledge and critical literacy skills they need to engage with news and current affairs online, including how to identify features of misinformation and disinformation. It will also look at the practical applications of these skills through the National Literacy Trust’s Empower programme, for girls and young women who have been excluded – or are at risk of being excluded – from mainstream education.
Speakers
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An introduction to Arcbox: a digital life story and communication app
Arcbox is a groundbreaking digital life story and communication management application for children in care and those who have been adopted. This session will explore the inextricable link between life story work and contact. It will demonstrate how children and young people can safely stay connected to significant people, including birth relatives and siblings, reducing the need to have unvetted access to social media and acting as a stepping stone to future contact.
Speakers
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The Big Debate: Should smartphones be banned for under-16s?
The government recently published guidance supporting a ban on mobile phones in schools but should policy go further? Some have called for a ban on sales of smartphones to under-16s or restrictions on the type of content young people are able to access on their devices. Should the UK follow Australia and other countries in imposing an age limit on access to social media? A panel of experts discusses the pros and cons on placing limitations on young people’s smartphone and social media use.
Speakers
Department for Media and Communications, The London School of Economics and Political Science
Director, Digital Futures for Children
Close of conference