News & Views

We are delighted to reveal the workshop details for the SCiP Alliance Conference 2024, taking place on 13th November in Cardiff. Aligned with this year’s theme, 'Inspiring Impact', the workshops will cover a diverse range of topics, offering delegates the chance to explore innovative ideas and data, share best practices, and engage in thought-provoking discussions.

A diverse range of organisations will be leading these sessions, providing delegates with the opportunity to gain valuable insights and engage in meaningful discussions. The workshops are designed to foster interaction, allowing attendees to ask questions and share perspectives with workshop leads.

For those who have already registered, an email will be sent shortly asking you to select your preferred workshops. We encourage you to respond promptly to secure your first-choice sessions, as availability may be limited.

If you have not yet registered, please sign up here to secure your place at this important event. We look forward to welcoming you to Cardiff for a day of inspiration, learning, and collaboration.

Please find workshop details below:

How can researchers communicate impactful and child-orientated research?

Lucy Robinson, Department of Education, University of Oxford

Research impact is an integral part of a research project. However, it is often the case that academics focus on types of research impact that are targeted at other researchers and/or practitioners, policymakers and funders. Whilst important, these can miss out the communities which the research is about. Therefore, in this workshop, participants will learn about how academic research could, and should, be communicated in ways that are both impactful and child-orientated. Drawing on my doctoral research, this will be in the context of service children. How can we, as researchers, share their voices in child-orientated, ethical, meaningful and impactful ways?

How can we use the new UCAS data to improve the journey for students from UK Armed Forces families?

Nicola Turner, UCAS

The new UCAS data allows us to see the emerging patterns and behaviours of applicants from UK Armed Forces families, but what does it tell us about the specific challenges they face – and how can we use it to help improve their journey to HE? This workshop will highlight the key data points from the 2023 cycle, bringing together delegates’ knowledge and experience to add context, identify emerging challenges and opportunities, and suggest ways to support Service children’s decision-making. We will also give an overview of targeted UCAS resources to help inform conversations with young people making their next steps.

Rethinking ‘voice’: Laying foundations for impactful engagement with Service Children

Dr Claire Lee, Oxford Brookes University

SCiP Alliance members share a commitment to translating Service children’s voice into impact. But what does ‘voice’ really mean, and how can we engage with it? Informed by the presenter’s expertise in dialogic research with Service children, including her arts-based doctoral research, this workshop explores how our understanding of ‘voice’ profoundly shapes how meaningfully we can engage with young people. Through practical exercises and discussion, the workshop will critically examine different concepts of ‘voice’. Participants will clarify their own understanding and take away ideas for participatory practices that ensure that Service children’s voice truly informs the work they do.

It's not just their job, it's our whole lives

Meg Thomas & Robyn Pattison, Forces Children Scotland

Sophia Dunn & Jaiden Kane, young people from Armed Forces families

Our co-produced workshop considers the impact of policy on the rights of service children and young people. We will demonstrate the activities we used to explore the topic with young people and discuss the findings published in our report "It's not just their job, it's our whole lives". We will explore the key recommendations of the report and outline the impact of the report since its publication. Young people have been at the heart of this work. They will talk about what their involvement has meant to them and the difference they would like it to make.

Poetry, Art and Song: Listening to Our Service Children

Katie Salari, Never Such Innocence

This workshop will dive into the unique practices and approach of the charity Never Such Innocence (NSI) and opportunities for military connected children to have their voices heard. NSI provides young people with creative tools (poetry, art and songwriting) to share their stories, thoughts and feelings. Throughout the year, NSI holds workshops, special events and a creative competition for Month of the Military Child. These powerful platforms positively impact the participants, their families and the wider armed forces community.

Developing the Thriving Lives Toolkit for the Higher Education (HE) sector

Dr Amanda Carr & Dr Liz Spruin, ACCESS Learning

This workshop will present the Thriving Lives Toolkit for Higher Education (HE), focusing on the outcomes of research into the experiences of students from Armed Forces families in HE. It will explore insights from service children and HE professionals, discuss the translation of findings into best practice principles, and detail the development of an evidence-based toolkit. Aligned with "Inspiring Impact," the workshop demonstrates how research directly informs HE policies and practices, fostering meaningful, evidence-led change that enhances the educational experiences of service children. It also highlights innovative collaborations and the direct impact on service children’s lives.

Lincolnshire's Festival of Friends: A Schools' Project to Support Service Children

Shaun O'Neill, LiNCHigher

Matt Blyton, Festival of Friends Project Lead

The Festival of Friends project, funded by the Armed Forces Education Trust and LiNCHigher, is an inspiring initiative focused on supporting Service children. Its core mission is to create and share effective practices in both educational and pastoral care, ensuring these children receive the best possible support. By promoting progression to further and higher education, the project aims to open new doors of opportunity, inspiring positive outcomes that can shape brighter futures for Service children. Through school-based collaboration and dedication, the Festival of Friends is making a lasting and impactful difference in the lives of those it serves.

Supporting School Transitions: A new sustained collaborative approach to Creative Forces Days

Sarah Harder-Collins & Vicky Fisher, University of Winchester

Steve Baker & Clair Martin, Seekers Create

The University of Winchester, in partnership with Bath Spa University, adapted the Creative Forces Day (CFD) model to focus on the transition of Service Children in KS2 and KS3. The teams worked with Seekers Create CIC, a dynamic social enterprise with previous experience of collaborating on CFDs. Together they developed an innovative series of activities to collect service child voice to shape a series of school teaching resources that were subsequently shared via a follow-up CPD workshop with school staff. This interactive session will introduce the new innovative and sustained approach to CFDs, sharing the resources and impact to date.

Sharing stories to inspire impact

Millie Taylor & Joanna Wolfe, SSCE Cymru

This workshop will explore the experiences of Service children in Wales, focusing on the unique challenges they may face, such as frequent relocations, family separations, and resettlement. Through a series of stories shared by schools and Service children, participants will gain insight into the impact of these experiences and the ways in which support can make a difference. Attendees will be invited to reflect on what has inspired them, engage in activities that encourage sharing of their own experiences, and contribute to discussions on best practices for supporting Service children.

Improving provision for mobile Service children with additional needs / SEND

Matt Blyton, Catterick Garrison ASSIST Project (GAP)

Lead Catterick's two-year Garrison ASSIST Project (GAP) successfully aimed for a collaborative approach across 8 schools to improving SEND provision for mobile Service children, informed by the evidence-base and delivered by confident and highly trained staff. In this workshop, the project’s lead will explore the following key questions:

• What is the current situation for Service children with additional needs / SEND?

• What are the distinctive experiences of Service children with SEND, their families and the schools that support them?

• What was the GAP approach?

• What impact has GAP had?

• What is key to deploying GAP elsewhere in the UK?

Measuring Impact: the NERUPI approach to evaluation

Annette Hayton & Dr Sally Griffin, NERUPI, University of Bath

The NERUPI* Framework is an established methodology used to evaluate the impact of initiatives that support the educational progression of students from groups who are underrepresented in higher education, such as Service Children. Some of its key outcomes already underpin the Creative Forces Day Evaluation Toolkit resource, including generating the learner voice to inform practice. In this workshop we will explore how the NERUPI approach and principles could be applied to evaluate the impact of a wider range of educational progression interventions with Service Children, supporting the engagement of SCiP allies in evidence-led action and the development of innovative practice.