Britain’s first parent-led review into children’s social care, the Best Interests of the Child Review (BIC), held its first online conference on Wednesday 1st December, in which attendees asked a range of questions about the review.

The conference was hosted and led by BIC’s lead, Michele Simmons, who experienced the children’s care system with her son. Joining Michele were BIC team members Simon Haworth, a lecturer in social work at Birmingham University, and ourselves (Natasha Phillips).

During the event, attendees asked what topics and areas the review would cover, and several excellent comments and suggestions were also raised by parents who had been through the children’s social care system.

Attendees asked questions about law-breaking inside the sector, poor social work practice, and accountability mechanisms. The team also answered queries about the unnecessary removal of children from their parents, legal aid and support for domestic violence victims.

You can watch the conference in full below.