This conference strand will support parents, carers, and professionals to better understand the realities of navigating neurodiversity across education, home, and community settings. From understanding SEND pathways, provisions, and school transitions to decoding sensory needs, meltdowns, emotional regulation, and behaviour, the sessions will provide practical guidance, lived experiences, and strategies that parents, carers and professionals need to know to confidently support their children at every stage.

This conference strand will explore safeguarding within the UK context, helping parents, professionals, social workers, faith leaders, and community organisations better understand children’s services, Child in Need processes, professional responsibilities, and what families need to know when concerns arise. The sessions will unpack how cultural beliefs, unconscious bias, communication gaps, trauma, and misunderstandings can sometimes lead to safeguarding challenges or poor outcomes for families. Through honest conversations and practical learning, we will examine what can go wrong, why trust matters, and how professionals and communities can work together to protect children while building culturally informed and inclusive safeguarding practices.

This conference strand explores practical strategies for caring for children, especially those with special needs and dealing with behavioural challenges, while prioritising the mental health and wellbeing of parents and carers. It focuses on emotional regulation, self-care, stress management, and building resilience, helping families respond to challenges with confidence, calm, and understanding.

This session unpacks the complex layers of parenting in diverse communities, exploring how cultural identity, lived experiences, and narratives shape understanding of neurodiversity, mental health, and safeguarding. It creates space for reflection on how beliefs, systems, and assumptions influence parenting, support, and access to services.

Young people will lead courageous and disruptive conversations with parents and professionals around race, racism, bullying, identity, and education, creating space for honest reflection and dialogue. The session will also showcase the Afrikindness youth-led research project in partnership with York St John University and Liverpool Hope University, culminating in the launch of a new Cultural Toolkit designed to support parents, schools, and communities in navigating culture, belonging, and inclusive conversations.

This workshop supports young people to build confidence, develop practical skills, and explore future career pathways. It focuses on employability skills, communication, CV building, transition, financial skills and understanding opportunities in education, training, and work. Participants (15- 21 years old) will be encouraged to recognise their strengths and take positive steps towards their future goals.