Sessions
Opening Plenary: Leading with Purpose | Elevating Disability Representation
Our panel of expert speakers will provide insights and strategies for cultivating diverse leadership teams. Attendees will be encouraged to reflect on their personal leadership journeys, acknowledging their challenges and milestones and assessing the tools, practices, and cultural dynamics within their organisations, including active allyship. The discussion will highlight the compelling business case for inclusive leadership, underscoring its significance in driving innovation, improving decision-making, and enhancing overall organisational success.
Session A1: Navigating Risk, Ensuring Quality, and Assessing Financial Viability
Charities face challenges in balancing their mission with financial stability and operational integrity. This presentation covers three key areas: managing risk, ensuring quality, and assessing financial viability. Attendees will learn strategies to mitigate risks, maintain service quality amid regulations, and strengthen financial resilience for long-term success. Practical examples and expert insights will help leaders safeguard their operations, build trust, and secure a sustainable future.
Session A2: Managing Rising Costs in Care | Strategies for Sustainable Procurement
Join us for an insightful session focused on navigating the increased operating costs for care providers resulting from the Government’s Autumn Budget. As these challenges mount, Marr Procurement offers effective solutions to help mitigate the impact of inflation.
This event will explore practical strategies and top tips for managing rising expenses alongside compelling evidence of savings achieved through real-world case studies. Attendees will gain valuable insights into cost-effective procurement practices that can enhance financial sustainability in the care sector.
Session A3: Leadership Transitions and Forward-Facing Governance
Join VODG partners from Governance and Legal, and MHA for a session focused on effective leadership transitions, succession planning, board diversity and forward-focused governance.
During the session, we'll discuss key insights for new leaders, including recognising unknowns in their first 100 days and strategies for onboarding. We'll also cover the importance of proactive succession planning, regular skills assessments and the significance of board diversity in preparation for future leadership changes. Lastly, we'll advocate for adapting governance models by shifting the focus to future challenges and opportunities rather than fixating on past issues and performance, ensuring business success and longevity.
Session B1: The Role of the Third Sector in Improving Transitions to Adulthood for Disabled People
With provocations from our speakers, this interactive session will encourage delegates to consider the role third-sector organisations can play in helping to address the systemic challenges faced by disabled young people and their families as they navigate the transition from children’s to adult services.
Session B2: Embracing AI | Transforming Organisations for the Future
In this session, industry experts will explore the transformative role of artificial intelligence (AI) in nonprofit organisations, highlighting real-life benefits. Key discussions will focus on data residency, strategies to prevent data leaks, and addressing biases in AI models to ensure fair outcomes. The panel will also examine decision-making, organisational readiness, and cost-effective strategies for scaling AI over the next 18 months. The session will emphasise both the opportunities AI presents and the associated challenges related to legal compliance.
Session B3: Social Care and Housing Working Together
This session will explore the ways in which social care and housing provision are working together, and what else could be done to strengthen partnerships between third sector providers and housing organisations, to best support disabled people to live the lives they choose. Forthcoming Supported Housing Regulations and welfare reforms have put into sharp focus the interdependencies of housing, health and care, and their shared role in transforming lives through good quality support.
Session C1: Mastering Contract Negotiations | Strategies for Effective Challenges
This session will explore the topic of negotiating contracts and care fees, including annual uplifts. It will consider the recent Stoke case and how it can be used in practice. It will also consider the broad legal framework around fees paid by local authorities and which key clauses to look out for in contractual agreements, plus practical examples of tactical approaches that have previously delivered successful outcomes.
Session C2: Navigating Employment Reforms and the Fair Pay Agreement
At a time of unprecedented change for employment reforms, workforce challenges and funding pressures, our expert speakers explore the government’s ambitions for employment reforms, including a fair pay agreement, and what they mean for third sector providers.
Closing Plenary
For our closing session we are joined by our keynote speaker, Dame Sharon White, who is an acknowledged business leader, currently Chair of Frontier Economics and previously chairman of the John Lewis Partnership - the first woman to be appointed into the position.
Dame Sharon brings a wealth of experience from working in government, regulation and employee-owned business to the conference. She will provide unique perspectives on leadership at scale and connecting commerciality with purpose. As a visible and resilient leader we will also be exploring the qualities that matter when making tough decisions in running purpose-led organisations.
