UK DDP Residential Conference 2026

"Supporting Residential Childcare Staff to Care, Reflect and Stay Connected"

Hosted by Clover Childcare Services, (part of the Silver Birch Holdings Group) Get ready for the UK DDP Residential Conference 2026 happening at Carrow Road! Proudly, Clover Childcare Services are the first organisation in the UK to attain DDP certification. Join us on September 28, 2026 at 9:00 AM (BST) for a day full of learning, networking, and fun. Whether you're new or a regular, it's the perfect chance to connect with others in a relaxed, friendly setting. Don’t miss out on this awesome in-person event, see you there!

Holding the Holders is a one‑day professional conference designed to strengthen the wellbeing, resilience, and practice of staff working in residential childcare. The event brings together sector leaders, practitioners, care‑experienced voices, and therapeutic specialists to explore how we support the adults who care for some of the most vulnerable children in our communities.

Residential childcare workers support children who have often experienced trauma, neglect, disrupted attachments, and multiple placement moves. Providing consistent, therapeutic care in these circumstances requires high levels of emotional presence, patience, and resilience. Research across the UK children’s social care sector consistently highlights that this work places significant emotional demands on staff, increasing the risk of burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress.

Evidence from organisations such as CELCIS, research in social care workforce wellbeing, and attachment‑informed practice literature indicates that supportive organisational cultures significantly reduce the risk of burnout. Reflective supervision, trauma‑informed leadership, peer support, and psychologically safe team environments are all key protective factors for staff working in demanding care settings.

The Holding the Holders conference focuses directly on these issues. The programme combines keynote presentations, practical workshops, and panel discussions that explore how to sustain staff wellbeing while strengthening trauma‑informed and relational practice.

Conference sessions will explore:

• Understanding the impact of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue on residential care staff

• How curiosity and relational practice improve outcomes for children

• Leadership approaches that support and sustain residential teams

• The role of regulation, reflection, and trust in therapeutic environments

• Practical strategies for strengthening staff wellbeing and retention

The conference brings together leading voices in trauma‑informed care including Dr Kim Golding CBE, Dr Ben Gurney‑Smith, Edwina Grant, and care‑experienced speaker Danny Wolstencroft. Alongside keynote sessions, participants will engage in workshops exploring PACE‑informed practice, Theraplay principles, and reflective leadership approaches that can be embedded in residential homes.

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Host or Publisher Clover Childcare Services