Reflections on the 2024 MSAB and MSCP Joint Conference
Aileen Buckton reflects on learning from the first in-person joint conference since the Covid-19 pandemic.
I was delighted to be able to chair the joint annual conference for Merton’s Safeguarding Children’s Partnership (MSCP) and Safeguarding Adults Board (MSAB): Recognising and Respecting Diversity in Safeguarding. It was so lovely to see people face to face in our first in-person conference since the Covid-19 pandemic.
As always, I was heartened to see the working together across both partnerships, a real testament to Merton’s desire to always put children and adults at the heart of its safeguarding practice. This enthusiasm was evident in the number of people who committed to attending and contributing to the conference so positively.
Conference attendees
I would like to start this blog post by thanking the two young presenters who began our conference. Marakie and Roismi, “Expert by Experience” trainers in Merton’s children’s social care service, spoke with such enormous dignity and honesty about their experiences of adultification and the trauma that accompanies this. It was truly moving to hear how their experience has shaped them as young adults, and a real challenge to all the professionals in the room around how we relate to young people, particularly those with a global majority heritage, in our safeguarding practice.
Experts by experience presentation
Jahnine Davis, the co-founder and director of Listen Up, a leading organisation in tackling Adultification bias, took us through how recent national reviews such as Child Q have shaped the conversation around adultification. She set the context with “getting comfortable with the uncomfortable,” which was a challenge to professionals to reflect honestly on how well they, as partners, were understanding and promoting anti-racist practice in Merton. It was humbling to be reminded that there is still some way to go in ensuring that there is no systemic racism within local area practice.
It was good to welcome Dr Anne Anka, the assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of East Anglia who focused her presentation on professional curiosity, how systemic racism may impact it, why good professional curiosity is important in safeguarding work, and the learning for safeguarding professionals. Some of the key takeaways for me included the importance of listening to individuals and their lived experience. She also emphasised how strong, collaborative work between partners is vital.
Off the back of these deeply important presentations, everyone was asked to make a personal pledge to ensure that anti-racist practice is challenged and prevented in Merton. Reading through these pledges was testament to the impact made by the speakers. One practitioner pledged that they “will commit to open, honest, uncomfortable discussions” when tackling racism. Another said that they would “pursue and record professional curiosity, conversations and discussions around protected characteristics and differences.”
We ended the conference with break-out-group activities to consider ways in which we could tackle everyday racism. Key outputs were:
- Creating safe spaces for “getting it wrong” learning and uncomfortable discussion
- More focus and training around professional curiosity
- Ensuring a diverse workforce
- Continuous self-reflection
- Holistic approaches to both children and adults and an understanding of their stories.
- Accountability amongst professionals.
Breakout groups
The MSCP and MSAB will work on the outputs from the conference and ensure that these are fed through the partnership business plans. Thank you all for your commitment to safeguarding in Merton and we look forward to seeing you again next year!
Aileen Buckton, Independent Chair Merton Safeguarding Children Partnership and Merton Safeguarding Adults Board