The disadvantages women often face at work after childbirth are often overshadowed by other workplace challenges. However, research from The Open University clearly shows that motherhood can have a significant impact on a woman's career and is an ingrained societal problem that needs urgently addressing. The Open University's Dr Wenjin Dai and Kendal Wright delivered an impactful keynote session at our Race at Work Conference on "Tackling the Motherhood Penalty For Diverse Mothers". Through our events we continue to inspire employers to take action to further equality at work. This session reinforced the need for an intersectional approach for progress, examining gender, parenthood and race together.

Natalie Travis works as the Director of Operations at Turning Point, a national organisation that helped support over 200,000 people last year. Turning Point works in learning disabilities, mental health, sexual health and drug and alcohol services, which is what brought Nat to our Drugs and Substance Misuse Conference 2026, one of our busiest and most anticipated conferences every year.

Conferences are great opportunities to learn, collaborate and network with like-minded individuals. These events can be excellent resources for understanding topics, making industry connections and bringing business to your company. Going to the conference is the first step and shows great initiative in learning, but there are some simple shifts in mindset and planning that can transform what you walk away with at your next conference.

Technology changes rapidly, making it essential that we stay on top of online safety to keep the internet a safe and positive place for children. We recently hosted the Online Safety Conference 2026 and it was a massive success. We had over 100 people attend and a collection of brilliant speakers. One of these was Will Gardner OBE, the CEO of Childnet International with 26 years of experience at the children’s charity. He is also the co-director of the UK Safer Internet Centre. Will delivered an insightful keynote about protecting children and young people from online harm with a specific focus on children and Artificial Intelligence (AI). We’ve recapped his session below, believing that there’s a lot of value here.

The public sector is undergoing fundamental change. Rising demand, workforce shortages, and rapid digital transformation are reshaping how organisations operate - and how they must evolve heading into the 2030s. Each of these challenges is an opportunity for organisations to evolve into more effective, innovative operations, leading to a healthier and more impactful public sector.