UniSpace Sunderland, the conference and events arm of the University of Sunderland, today announces that it has been chosen for the 2014 ‘Voices of The Children’ conference, a national conference listening to the needs of children and young people who are adopted or looked after.
The conference, which has been organised by Principal Lecturer Margaret Parsons and Senior Lecturer Wendy Thorley from the University of Sunderland’s Childhood Studies team, will take place on 18th June at UniSpace’s Sir Tom Cowie Campus, attended by some of the UK’s leading experts in this field.
Sharon Olver, Business Development Manager (Events) and Commercial Manager at UniSpace Sunderland, comments: “I think it’s fantastic that we have the opportunity to host such a worthwhile event. This is a great example of our close work with internal faculties to ensure we are bringing events to UniSpace that support the core proposition of the university and I’m looking forward to welcoming delegates to the venue.”
The conference is supported by national and local organisations including Adoption UK, Who Cares Trust and the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF). Keynote speakers include Hugh Thornberry, Chief Executive of Adoption UK, Sally Donovan, author of the recently published book ‘No Matter What: An Adoptive Family’s A Story of Hope, Love and Healing’, as well as Amanda Boorman, founder of The Open Nest charity.
Margaret Parsons adds: “The conference is open to a wide audience, from those working in schools, early years and children’s centres, to social services and youth and community workers and health workers. We’ll be actively encouraging our own students to attend, as they are the next generation who may find themselves working in this area. I hope the students will get a greater insight into what adopted and looked after children think, how they feel and have a better understanding of a young person’s perspective and they can then provide appropriate support to them.”
