The Black Care Experience Conference 2026
Theme: ‘We’re All In This Together! What Part Do I Play?’
Venue: NTCG, 20 Upper Chorlton Rd, Old Trafford, Manchester, M16 7RN
Time: 10am - 4pm
In 2022, we centred our first Conference around a United Call to Action to Improve the Care, Outcomes and Life Chances of Black Children and Young People in Children’s Social Care. From here we saw the need for the workforces to know how to raise and care for Black Children and Young People in their Care, which led to Conference 2023 The Culturally Competent Workforce.
With research stating that Black Children and Young People in Care have the poorest outcomes and life chances in comparison to any other ethnic group in the Care System, in 2024 we explored the solutions of how to make a difference, with our Conference theme Changing The Narrative Together, Is Love Really Enough?!, which then brought us to our 2025 Conference, themed Now Do You See Us?! – now do you see the barriers we have to overcome in order to achieve.
Putting the pieces of each Conference together, in 2026 we’ll embark on a journey to empower our Conference Delegates to see how as a diverse community, coming together like pieces of a puzzle and playing our part in our respective roles, we can help to improve the Care, Outcomes and Life Chances of Black Children and Young People in Care.
Playing their part, please meet our Conference Workshop Hosts, Judith AM Denton and Millie Kerr.
Judith AM Denton | CEO | Entrepreneur | Speaker | Trainer | Consultant | Author | Care Experienced
Growing up in Foster Care from the age of 9, Judith experienced various challenges such as exclusions from school and college, run ins with the law and a crisis which led to a period of poor mental health when she became a Care Leaver at age 26.
After a miraculous recovery, Judith was advised by her Mentors to take stock of her natural skills and abilities to help her map out the next steps in her life.
This advice led to Judith becoming the CEO and Founder ‘The Transformed You’, an Intervention & Support Mentoring Service established in 2013 to transform the lives and raise the aspirations of Children and Young People in Care and Care Leavers. Through her lived experience of being in the Care System, Judith is a powerful Speaker, an empowering Trainer, an expert Consultant and an authentic Author. You can gain insight into her Care Journey through her autobiography Foster Care and Me or via her 6 Part Documentary From Foster Care to Role Model .
Judith is also the Founder of The Black Care Experience established in 2021 to shape a better Care Experience for Black Children and Young People In Care in the Children’s Social Care System.
Fun Fact: Judith is a Singer and Songwriter, she’s a Web Designer and an avid Tottenham Hotspurs Fan.
Millie Kerr | Strategic Anti-Racist Lead | Business Improvement for Children’s Services | Brighton & Hove City Council
Millie is a registered social worker with over 30 years’ experience within the profession, 20 of which has been as a manager and senior leader, traversing roles within local authority children’s services, adult services and the charity sector, working in areas of child protection, HIV, managing child asylum, child trafficking, care leavers and specialist FGM services. Prior to qualifying as a social worker, Millie also had 10 years’ experience as a Youth and community worker.
She has expertise in engaging multi-agency partners, leadership, change management and delivering racial justice training and keynote speeches through an intersectional lens within Children’s social care, other public sector services and nationally.
Millie is a strategic anti-racist lead for Brighton & Hove City Council, leading and supporting the development of anti-racist strategic action plans and culture change, across children’s and learning & organisational development services. In addition to enhancing better community engagement and relationship building, her ongoing career objectives are to continue to enhance anti-racist practice, racial and social justice nationally. Millie is also a member of BASW’s Children and Families Thematic group and the Racial Justice Family Network, chaired by Coram Baaf.
Millie has also authored the following article and practice guide. ‘My role as England’s first Anti-Racist Lead Practitioner’ and Ensuring equality, diversity and inclusion in the Family Court: Frontline Briefing (2022). In 2025 she co-authored The Anti-Racist Social Worker in Practice and was voted ‘Inspirational d & I Leader’.
Playing his part, please meet our Conference Keynote Speaker, Ashley John-Baptiste.
Ashley John-Baptiste | Broadcaster |TV Presenter | Author | Inspirational Speaker
Ashley John-Baptiste is an award-winning broadcaster and TV presenter, making reports & hosting The One Show, Sunday Morning Live, as well as Morning Live & BBC News. Ashley fronted the BBC Three documentary Care Home Kids: Looking For Love, looking at children who are growing up in the care system in the same way he did. Other films include - My Life In Care and My Life Without Skin, as well as a documentary about siblings separated in care. Split Up In Care: Life Without Siblings premiered in January 2022, was a winner at the BBC News Awards, shortlisted in the Most Impactful Journalism category. Ashley was also shortlisted for the RTS Young Talent Of The Year 2018 award.
He began his BBC journalism career for BBC2's Victoria Derbyshire programme, reporting on the Grenfell disaster, making original films on issues including interfaith foster care, kids who are bullied, and racism on UK university campuses.
He currently co-hosts Con or Cure and also presents Expert Witness, for which he was nominated for a 2023 Broadcast Award in the Best Daytime Programme category. Ashley has also co-presented the RTS-nominated series For Love or Money, all for BBC1.
Ashley is an inspirational speaker who shares his hard-hitting and inspirational story of navigating through the care system. Ashley is an ambassador for The Fostering Network charity and a truly inspirational public speaker. He is the founder of the online charity Be Inspired, supporting young people leaving care and helping them fulfil their aspirations. In June 2025, Ashley appeared on the panel for Crisis of Care at Glastonbury Left Field.
Ashley’s debut book ‘Looked After: A Childhood in Care’ was published in June 2024 and was shortlisted for Hatchards and the Biographers' Club Best First Biography Prize.
Playing their part, please meet Sheffield Community Choir who will uplift us in song to Lean On each other and not to Worry About a Thing!
Founder & Director of the Sheffield Community Choir; Janine is a multi-award winning dynamic Gospel singer, who is highly gifted in leading people in music. Janine has had the pleasure of singing to the Royal Family amongst many other high-profile people in the UK and abroad. As a recording artist & also as a soloist – Janine has shared platforms with many of The World’s renowned Gospel Artists.
The desire to share her gift with others motivated Janine to begin the Sheffield Community Choir in 2013, which is now known as the best and most well-loved Gospel Choirs in Yorkshire.
The choir has gone from strength to strength - reaching prominence as one of the country’s finest amateur choirs in the BBC Songs of Praise Gospel Choir of the Year 2016 contest and has developed to be in great demand for performances and collaborations. In the year to March 2020, the choir performed on numerous prestigious stages across the North, including: joining Take That on their arena tour in Yorkshire (performing to around 80,000 people across the series of 5 dates during spring/summer 2019), they’ve performed on the main stage at the acclaimed Black Music Festival in Leeds and for the opening of a high profile Charity Gala Dinner at Old Trafford.
The Sheffield Community Choir also perform for local charities and community organisations to support their vital work.
There’s More…
In 2024 our first Legacy Award was awarded to Steve Stephenson MBE who is now a retired Social Worker but was an activist who played his part to trailblaze the first recruitment campaign for Black and Asian Foster Carers in the 1980’s.
In 2025 our Legacy Award was awarded to David Akinsanya. For those who didn’t know David played his part as one of the leading voices and trailblazers of the 1980’s Black and In Care Group.
For 2026 our Legacy Award will be awarded to…????
The Black Care Experience Legacy Award
The Black Care Experience Residential 2026
Our first ever 5-day (4 night) residential for Black Children and Young People in Care age 10 - 16 will be taking place in August 2026.
The residential will give our Young Black People in Care the chance to strengthen their connection to their culture, identity and heritage, while building a community of peer support. We'll also be tackling important issues like exploitation, grooming, drug misuse, knife crime and more, to build their knowledge on how to keep themselves safe.
They'll be practical workshops to help build their confidence and Therapeutic Practitioners on hand to provide the space and support to offload. And of course, it wouldn't be The Black Care Experience if there wasn't plenty of fun activities thrown into the mix.
We’ll be sharing more details at the Conference, about how to secure a place and answer any questions you may have.
And There’s More…
Now there’s more that we’re going to share about who is taking part and what else is happening at Conference 2026 so keep a look out here or on our Social Media platforms.
In the meantime, make sure to get a hold of our EARLY BIRD TICKETS that are available now and for the entire month of October 2025.
EARLY BIRD TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE
EARLY BIRD TICKETS are available now and for the entire month of October 2025.
Tickets
Early Bird Tickets £45.50 (from 1st October 2025 - 31st October 2025)
General Admission Tickets £55.50 (from 1st November 2025 - 28th March 2026)
FREE for our Black Care Experienced and Non Black Care Experienced Care Leavers (age 17 and above)
WHO CAN ATTEND OUR CONFERENCE
Black Care Experienced and Non Black Care Experienced Care Leavers (age 17 and above)
Children’s Social Care Workforce (Directors, Managers, Social Workers, Foster Carers, Local Authority Virtual School, Independent Reviewing Officers, Residential Children’s Home Staff and Providers, Anti Racist Practice Leads, Looked After Child Nurse) To support your Ongoing Professional Development.
Voluntary Sector Workforce, Legal Practitioners and Researchers within Children’s Social Care Sector. To support your Ongoing Professional Development.
Please Note: The Conference WILL NOT be Live Streamed | The Conference WILL NOT be available to view after the Event | Refreshments and Light Lunch will be served | Doors open at 9:30am for REGISTRATION
WANT TO MAKE A DONATION?
If you believe in our cause and want to Donate towards our Conference and our ongoing mission of helping to shape a better care experience for Black Children and Young People in Care, feel free to do so via the DONATE Button below or purchase one of our I AM A PART of The Village T-Shirts.