A symposium for CAMHS, Neurodevelopmental Services, Children's Social Workers and Children's Social Care Support Workers, to help improve practice to better meet the emotional and mental health needs of autistic children and young people.

Key note speakers on the day are:

TRM Recovery - Dr Tricia Skuse and Dusty Kennedy

For the last 3 years Tricia has worked as a Highly Specialist Child & Adolescent Clinical Psychologist at the Wales-wide Forensic Adolescent Consultation and Treatment Service (FACTS), working with young people with complex needs and/or mental health difficulties. A founder member of the Attachment Network Wales, Tricia has a special interest in early attachment and trauma, and the relationship of this to later functioning and behaviour during adolescence. She continues to teach widely at both undergraduate and post graduate level, including on the South Wales clinical psychology doctoral programme.

Dusty is National Partnership Lead working in Public Health Wales on the Early Action Together Programme; a pan-Wales collaboration introducing trauma-informed practice to the four police forces and wider criminal justice. He provides independent management and systems consultancy, specialising in services for vulnerable people and is a member of the Wales Youth Work Board.

Barry Coughlan

Barry is an NIHR School of Primary Care doctoral student at Cambridge University. His research focuses on how practitioners make sense of developmental differences in children.

Dr Alka Ahuja

Professor Alka Ahuja is a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and the Lead Consultant for the Specialist Neurodevelopmental service at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. She is also the Chair of the Child and Adolescent Faculty of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales and a Visiting Professor at the Welsh Institute for Health and Social Care, University of South Wales.

Anne Marie McKigney

Anne Marie is a Consultant Psychologist working in Specialist CAMHS for ABUHB and is the lead Psychologist for the Neurodevelopmental work stream. Her work involves diagnostic assessment, post diagnostic support, training and support for staff and strategic planning and development. She worked as a Guideline Developer on NICE guidelines in ASD in under 19s: recognition, referral and diagnosis (2011) and worked as an Expert Advisor for NICE Centre for Guidelines until September 2019. She is a member of the Welsh Government National Steering Group for Neurodevelopmental service improvement and has been involved with several research projects in the last 5 years. She is a strong supporter of using evidence practice and working collaboratively with parents and partner agencies to enhance service delivery. She has been actively involved in using digital technology to support service delivery.