ADCS Calls for Greater Focus on Adolescents in Children’s Services
A recent leadership change at the Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) has brought renewed attention to a critical issue within children’s services: the need to better support adolescents.
The incoming president has called for a stronger focus on teenagers, highlighting a long-standing imbalance in how services are designed and delivered. While early intervention remains [...]
Understanding Child Sexual Exploitation and Child Criminal Exploitation
Recently, some of our Independent Social Workers (ISWs) attended two peer discussion sessions delivered by Dr Craig Barlow, focusing on Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) and Child Criminal Exploitation (CCE). The sessions highlighted the concerns surrounding these forms of abuse and the importance of recognising the signs early in order to safeguard vulnerable children and young people.
Exploitation can affect children from any [...]
When Delay Hurts
Children who are exposed to abuse, neglect, exploitation, or prolonged uncertainty face serious risks, not only to their immediate safety, but to their long-term emotional wellbeing and mental health. Research consistently shows that early adversity is linked to later psychological difficulties, including anxiety, depression, [...]
Introducing Specialist Risk Assessments
Safeguarding people, whether children, adolescents or adults, starts with understanding risk.
Specialist Risk Assessments are a new service offered by WillisPalmer, developed to support situations where there is a need to understand a specific safeguarding risk affecting a child either within, or away from, their home.
In some cases, professionals do not require a broad assessment of family circumstances, but clear and independent analysis [...]
A Year of Reflection and Learning
As 2025 comes to a close, we took the opportunity to reflect on the year just gone and the work delivered across WillisPalmer. From maintaining high professional standards in a challenging sector to continuing to support experts and safeguard children and families, [...]
Impact Story - Clara, Phillipe and their three children
Background
A London borough local authority instructed WillisPalmer to undertake a multi-disciplinary Supported Community Assessment (SCA) of parents Clara and Phillipe Nicolescu regarding the welfare of their newborn son, Andrei. The Local Authority had issued [...]
