After more than 5 years, we saw the return of the SES annual conference!  These events bring the whole SES team together to increase our knowledge, inspire us, and remind us why we have chosen to work with our special young people.

This year we welcomed Steven Russell, founder of Elements, to the beautiful setting at Dunston Hall.  Steven had impressed two of our senior leaders with his heartfelt and powerful presentation at the 2024 Children’s Home Association conference.  They both felt he would make a big impression on the SES team, and they weren’t wrong!

Steven spoke with us about the Power of Connection, reflecting on his own childhood in the care system and the lessons he wanted to pass on to professionals working in the care sector.  His message was powerful and often emotional, giving us all plenty to think about and reflect on our own interactions with children.

The session was interactive, with an experiment to show how easily a simple message about a child can be carried incorrectly when passed on through several professionals.  We also had to decorate masks with key moments and feelings from our own childhood, helping us all understand each other and realise there’s often more beneath the surface.

The conference has left us all with plenty to think about and put into practice, and we hope to welcome Steven back to SES to see us all in action later this year.

We have already started to think about the SES Conference 2026………