Our annual Staff Conference
Staff Conference 2026: Thinking Differently About Inclusion
Our recent Staff Conference was a lovely opportunity to bring colleagues together from across Daybreak, including many of our independent coordinators. It was wonderful to reconnect, share experiences and reflect on how we can make our work even more inclusive.
The theme of the day was understanding how people access, process and communicate information differently. Through a series of interactive activities, we explored how communication methods can unintentionally create barriers, who may be disadvantaged by these approaches, and how we can ensure important information is accessible to everyone.
A key part of the day focused on the Social Model of Disability, which reminds us that people are often disabled by the way environments, systems and tasks are designed, rather than by their abilities. This challenges us to focus on removing barriers and creating opportunities for everyone to participate.
The conference included four practical activities designed to bring these concepts to life. One exercise demonstrated how our brains process, filter and recall information differently, highlighting why there is no single communication method that works for everyone.
Another activity used LEGO Therapy principles to explore the theme of "Same Person, Different Environment." Participants created models representing situations where things felt difficult and situations where things worked well for them. Through reflection and discussion, the activity helped us understand how environments, relationships and supports can either create barriers or enable people to thrive, reinforcing the message that challenges often arise from the context around us rather than the individual.
Throughout the day we reflected on how Daybreak can communicate more inclusively, combine different communication methods and ensure people receive information in ways that work for them.
The conference reinforced an important message for our work: when we remove barriers and create environments where everyone can participate, people are better able to contribute their strengths, build meaningful connections and achieve positive outcomes. This applies not only to the families and communities we support, but also to our colleagues across Daybreak.
A huge thank you to everyone who attended and contributed so enthusiastically. We left with fresh ideas, renewed energy and a shared commitment to making Daybreak's services, workplaces and communications as inclusive, accessible and welcoming as possible for colleagues, families and communities alike.
Our annual Staff Conference is an important day in the Daybreak calendar - here are some comments from our team.
“I feel so much more aware of how I communicate with families”
“Really enjoyed the day, each task was thought provoking and generated good conversations.”
“It is great to feel part of a team of people who all have the aim to support families and children.”
“As a new coordinator I found this day very useful and a brilliant way to meet others and chat about practice tips.”
If you are interested in joining the Daybreak team, head to our Careers pages, and keep an eye out for our regular recruitment windows.
