From foster care to keynote speaker: Welsh researcher showcases her work on a global stage

A Welsh researcher with the CASCADE partnership, funded by Health and Care Research Wales, delivered a keynote address at a prestigious global forum in Sweden this week.

Lorna Stabler (pictured right) spoke at the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Social Work Conference in Uppsala, underscoring her significant contributions to the field of social work research.

As someone who spent her childhood in foster care and later became a kinship foster carer for her younger brother, she brought a unique and profound perspective to her work, influencing her research focus on better supporting families and their networks to ensure children can remain safely within their communities.

Lorna’s keynote speech explored how to move beyond tokenistic involvement of those with lived experience in research. She shared insights and examples from her work with CASCADE, highlighting the benefits and challenges of this approach and discussing potential future directions for social work research that genuinely include the voices of those who have experienced the system firsthand.

The ISPCAN conference is a key event for professionals in the field of social work, bringing together experts, practitioners, and researchers from around the world to discuss the latest developments and challenges in child protection.