From the 26th-28th of November we were asked to attend the NCASC conference by Impower.
The National Children and Adult Services Conference (NCASC) brought together senior leaders, practitioners and organisations from across health, social care and education to explore how services can better respond to increasingly complex need. For John Turberville (CEO of The Mulberry Bush) and Sarah Paget (Head of Mulberry Bush Consulting), the conference offered both reassurance and challenge, highlighting areas of alignment with long-held values, alongside tensions that continue to shape the national conversation.
The importance of Relational Practice
Across discussions, one theme emerged: the importance of relational practice and trauma-informed care. Sarah Paget reflected that, among the breadth of sessions at NCASC, “it was refreshing to hear consistent messaging about the importance of relational practice and trauma-informed care.”
This emphasis on looking beyond behaviour, understanding lived experience and meeting people “where they are” reflects the core values of The Mulberry Bush. However, Sarah also noted a gap in the conversation. While relational approaches were widely referenced, there were fewer positive acknowledgements of the role of therapeutic residential care.
Although disappointing, there was some reassurance in hearing recognition that specialist services continue to have an important place within the system. For Sarah, this reinforced the need for therapeutic providers to remain visible and vocal: “We need to ensure our voices are heard.”
Ofsted and the need for inclusion
Among the conference’s most notable speakers was Sir Martyn Oliver, whose contribution was particularly significant. His description of Ofsted’s role as being a “laser light, not a flood light” resonated strongly, especially in the context of systemic failures across education, health and social care that can lead to exclusion or create barriers to inclusion.
Both Sarah Paget and John Turberville reflected on the importance of his emphasis on supporting providers to work confidently with those who have the most complex needs. John welcomed Sir Martyn’s reassurance that Ofsted’s role is to work alongside providers “supporting them to feel confident to work with children with the most complex lives”.
Ambition and Disconnect
On the final day of the conference, John Turberville described being struck by “the ambition and complexity of change and reform being brought forwards at this national senior leadership level.” However, alongside this ambition was a sense of disconnection between strategic vision and the reality.
John reflected that the “messiness of the work”– the emotional and relational demands of supporting people who have experienced trauma- was not always fully acknowledged. This disconnect felt surprising, particularly given the repeated emphasis on values and relational approaches.
At times there was encouragement and energy, particularly when the role of specialist provision, training, research and consultancy was recognised. At other times there was sadness, when residential care was “singled out, vilified and blamed as the problem rather than valued as part of the solution”.
Place-based leadership
One of the most hopeful moments of the conference came from Professor Donna Hall’s presentation based on place-based Leadership and the Pride in Place initiative. Sarah described this as an inspiring example of “out of the box thinking” grounded in relationships, community investment and values-led leadership.
The approach focuses on building what Professor Hall described as “cultural safety nets” through neighbourhood relationships and strong voluntary and community sectors. Sarah reflected that this vision of a “Relational, values-led, profoundly human” approach to leadership feels more important than ever, particularly against a backdrop of financial pressure and systematic strain.
Designing systems that reflect people
Another moment that resonated deeply came from Jess McGregor, President of ADAAS, who observed that “too many of us don’t recognise ourselves in the systems we design”. John noted that this comment spoke powerfully to the importance of relational practice and co-production.
Research from The Mulberry Bush reinforces this point, highlighting the importance of training staff to stay in touch with feeling the states of those they work with. When systems fail to reflect human experience, they risk becoming disconnected from the people they are intended to support.
It felt particularly meaningful that the conference opened with a “Big Chat” centred on lived experience of care and support into adulthood in Dorset. For John, it was “great for care experience to be the focus of the first chat”, setting an important tone for the days that followed.
Conversations beyond the programme
Despite the challenges facing the sector- from workforce pressures to significant financial shortfalls- both John and Sarah observed a striking sense of optimism. There was a shared passion and commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people and adults, even in difficult conditions.
Looking ahead
For The Mulberry Bush, NCASC was both a reminder of the scale of the challenge ahead and a reaffirmation of the values that underpin our work. As John reflected the charity has “a great deal to offer in support of the current strategy”, particularly through specialist provision, training, research and collaborative partnerships.
The conference reinforced the importance of continuing to advocate for relational, trauma-informed, therapeutic approaches. In a time of significant change, Sarah’s reflections captured a shared sentiment: that reform must remain grounded in relationships, reflection and humanity.
