The conference brought together students, guest speakers, mentors and academic staff from across the school at the University’s Main Campus. There was a busy programme of talks and workshops by experts from the private and voluntary sectors.

The conference focused on ways to reduce educational, health and social care inequalities for children and their families. This was informed by lessons learnt from challenges and celebrated the successes that individuals and organisations have had in overcoming them. The day provided opportunities for attendees to engage with current research and share knowledge across the multidisciplinary health and social care sector.  

The programme included guest speakers sharing current practices when working with children, young people or families and examined a range of challenges and innovative approaches to overcoming them. Amongst the guest speakers were Rich Driffield, CEO of The Joshua Tree, a charity that provides support to families affected by childhood cancers; Alice Smart from Zarach, a Leeds-based charity committed to supporting children and families living in poverty crisis; and Councillor Elizabeth Reynolds, the elected member of Kirklees Council who spoke about the politics of children’s mental health. 

Mike Dessington, Head of the School of Children Young People and Families at Leeds Trinity University said: “I was delighted to host the inaugural Champions of Childhood Conference at Leeds Trinity University. We know individuals do not experience challenges and hardships equally. 

“Children are persistently and disproportionally impacted by the circumstances and situations they are in. This event helped to share the lessons learnt by professionals from across the sector and to find and share innovative ways to reduce childhood inequalities.”

Guest speaker Leonie Tayler, Head of Creative & Business Development at Brightsparks Agency said: “At BrightSparks we thrive on sharing our experiences of the work we do across a variety of projects related to improving health and wellbeing outcomes for children, young people and families. We are also keen to learn more from other organisations, so it was a pleasure to be invited to Leeds Trinity University’s Champions of Childhood conference.” 

Originally founded as two teacher training colleges, Leeds Trinity University has a rich history of championing childhood through its teaching expertise that is informed and underpinned by its research and professional practice with and on behalf of children. This is further strengthened by the University’s relationships with employers by developing graduates who have the requisite knowledge, skills and experience to improve outcomes for children, young people and families across the communities in which they live and work.

Find more information about Leeds Trinity’s School of Children, Young People and Families courses visit the University website.