The Association of Directors of Children's Services (ADCS) recently held its annual conference in Manchester. This was the first in-person conference in three years and it was great to be with colleagues again to discuss our shared challenges and share best practice.

In my speech to delegates I reflected on the challenges we faced during the pandemic. While I hope we never experience a situation like it again, it is important to harness learning from what went well and, crucially, what didn't.