Venue and getting there Expand The conference is taking place at the Greyfriars Charteris Centre, 138/140 Pleasance, Edinburgh, EH8 9RR The venue is easily accessible by public transport or by foot from Waverley Train Station. There is pay and display parking nearby. Further information on how to reach the venue can be found via the Greyfriars Charteris Centre website.
The workshops Expand FASD & Sleep with Sleep Action Struggling with Sleep? Join Sleep Action for their workshop "Build your own sleep plan" - A practical workshop looking at sleep, with information, tips and practical ideas to create a tailored and effective sleep strategy for your child. FASD in Education with Paula Gilhooley, Education Advisor, Adoption UK Join Paula Gilhooley, Adoption UK’s Education Advisor for a workshop on FASD in Education, and tips on how to seek support for your child. FASD & Trauma with Dr. Lorraine Lockhart, Psychology and Therapy Hub (PATH), Adoption UK We’ve all heard of trauma, but what does it mean and how does it relate to our children and young peoples’ experiences of FASD? This workshop will be led by Dr Lorriane Lockhart, Clinical Psychologist in the PATH Team at Adoption UK. Sensory Issues with Psychology and Therapy Hub (PATH), Adoption UK Struggling with sensory overload? Join Adoption UK’s Occupational Therapists who will be sharing insights and strategies into how to support our children and young people. FASD: The Teenage Years with FASD Hub Scotland, Adoption UK The dreaded teens – or does it have to be? Join FASD Hub Scotland as they unpack some of the common challenges of adolescence through the FASD lens. Upskilling the workforce in FASD Diagnosis: What do you want professionals to know? This interactive workshop will allow delegates to hear about how services are developing nationally to improve access to neurodevelopmental assessments for those affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. This session will offer an overview of the diagnostic process for FASD and the approaches being employed to upskill professionals across health, education and social care in FASD. This session hopes to hear from experts through experience about what you feel is important for inclusion in the training that professionals receive. This session will be facilitated by the Fetal Alcohol Advisory, Support and Training Team (FAASTT) based at the University of Edinburgh who have the remit of developing and delivering training and to undertake consultation and research in FASD in Scotland.
The speakers and panelists Expand Professor Moira PlantConference Chair Based in Edinburgh, Moira Plant is Emeritus Professor of Alcohol Studies at the University of West of England in Bristol UK and Adjunct Professor at Curtin University Perth Australia. Her main interests include women, alcohol and mental health, drinking in pregnancy and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. She has published on these and related subjects in peer reviewed journals and books. Moira has worked as a researcher in the field of FASD for over 40 years. She has acted as consultant to the World Health Organisation, the UK and other governments, the Centre for Addiction Research & Education Scotland (CARES), the US Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (CIFASD) and is a member of the steering group of the Scottish Heath Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP). Moira is a psychotherapist and trains and supervises counsellors. Moira also Chairs the Scottish FASD Strategy Group and contributes in many ways to the FASD community in Scotland. Professor Raja MukherjeeKeynote Speaker/Panelist Professor Raja Mukherjee is an Adult Learning Disability Consultant Psychiatrist for Surrey and Border’s Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, with interest in the management of developmental disorders across the lifespan. In September 2009 he started the first NHS based specialist Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders behavioural clinic and since then has seen over 250 cases for specialist second opinion as a National referral service. Professor Mukherjee completed his PhD on the subject of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in 2014. He has also acted as an invited advisor to the BMA board of science, The Department of Health, and the World Health Organisation on the subject of FASD. In 2015, Professor Mukherjee also gave evidence to the first All Party Parliamentary Group on FASD at the House of Commons. He has continued to support national clinical developments related to FASD. Professor Mukherjee is a member of the NICE quality standards group for FASD. He is currently the only UK representative to a US, NIH sponsored initiative to consider the research criteria for FASD. In his own time, he volunteers as a medical advisor to various FASD charities both in the UK and internationally. In 2021 he was made an Honorary Professor at the University of Salford related to his work on FASD. Dr David Junior GilbertKeynote Speaker/Panelist Dr David Junior Gilbert (AFHEA) is an interdisciplinary researcher and University Fellow in the School of Health and Society. Gilbert (as he prefers to be called) is a member of the academic network of Her Majesty’s Prisons and Probation Service (HMPPS), Society for Evidence Based policing, Neurodivergence in the Criminal Justice Network, and SalfordFASD research group. Gilbert is passionate about increasing the knowledge, understanding and awareness surrounding the vulnerabilities of individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) to, and within criminal justice system (CJS) encounters. Gilbert’s research is focused on investigating the vulnerabilities of individuals with FASD to, and within the justice system. Some of the vulnerabilities Gilbert will research include impulsivity, suggestibility, executive/adaptive functioning, trauma, compliance, and confabulation in the FASD population. For his fellowship, Gilbert is currently working to investigate these vulnerabilities further, within the UK and internationally I six countries – Australia, Canada, US, UK, New Zealand, and Ireland. Miranda EodanablePanelist Miranda Eodanable is an educational psychologist (EP) for City of Edinburgh local authority, a PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, a qualified EMDR therapist and Partner Tutor to the MSc Educational Psychology course at the University of Dundee. She has just finished a secondment to CAMHS NHS Lothian as the EP for the neurodevelopmental assessment pathway. Within the local authority, she is now working on the Edinburgh Neurodiversity and Disability Hub. Her PhD research in FASD explores the FASD diagnosis with young people, health and education professionals (@FASDPhDresearch). Dr Patricia Jackson OBE, FRCPCH Panelist Dr Jackson graduated from Edinburgh University Medical School and specialised in neuro-developmental paediatrics. Her previous role in NHS Lothian was the development and organisation of Learning Disability Services for children and young people. She co-chaired the SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guideline Network) 156 Group that, in 2019, published the first UK Clinical Guideline for Children and Young people exposed prenatally to alcohol. In her teaching and research roles her interest is in improving services for children and young people with additional support needs especially those with FASD, and this links well with her interest in Sleep issues in Children and Young People. She is involved in awareness raising about FASD as a lifelong condition through teaching, the development of e-Learning programs for Scottish Government, and online courses for paediatricians through the RCPCH, and educational events for GPs and other health colleagues. She links with colleagues in other statutory and third sector services to seek to improve services and resources for those with FASD and their families. She is a member of the steering group for the Healthier Pregnancies/ Better Lives Coalition, a Trustee of National FASD UK, and a member of the Scottish FASD Strategy Group. Emily FrithPanelist Emily has been CEO of Adoption UK since 2022. Emily’s previous roles include leading on policy and advocacy for the Children’s Commissioner; Special Adviser to the Deputy Prime Minister on health and welfare; heading up a national commission on children’s mental health at the Education Policy Institute, and leadership of External Affairs at Turning Point, the health and social care charity. She was a member of the Oversight Board for NHS England’s taskforce for improving children’s inpatient mental health care. She played a leading role in putting children at the top of the political agenda in decisions relating to the impact of the pandemic and led a campaign which directly led to the investment of £600m in mental health care. Carol HunterPanelist Carol joined Adoption UK as Community Engagement Lead for our #EProject, engaging with children and young people as part of Adoption UK’s commitment to The Promise. As a person with FASD, she also holds the role of lead in FASD Hub Scotland’s work with Adults and Young People. Carol is an adoptee and also works within the college sector as a full time guidance adviser. She has recently completed her MA Crime and Justice, alongside volunteering with Children’s Hearings Scotland as a panel member within Fife and is a Mum to three young boys.
Conference programme Expand Registration will be from 9.15am, with the programme commencing at 10.00am. Tea and coffee will be available on arrival. The conference will close at 3.45pm, however FASD Hub and Adoption UK team members will be available until 4.15pm and attendees are welcome to take the opportunity to talk to a member of the team if they wish to do so. Refreshments and lunch will be provided. Download full programme