Annual PCN Conference 2019
18th - 20th January 2019
Hayes Conference Centre, Swanwick
In recent years we have all seen huge changes in society, in culture, in values, in forms and methods of communication, ways of accessing help, even in vocabulary! It is so important that we change with the times but keep hold of the heart of our work.
As counsellors, fundraisers, teachers and communicators, we already know that spending time face to face is so much more powerful than emailing each other! We know that spending a couple of days together can achieve a disproportionately high amount. And at the heart of PCN is the passion to build you up and equip you for your work. We want to support and get behind great new initiatives that are already happening, we want to see renewed excitement about the work in our times, we want to see new expressions of the work birthed and invigorated, and we want to care for each of you as you deliver the care to your clients.
So we have created a high impact residential weekend for anyone working in a centre. The programme of quality teaching, CPD focussed seminars, personal enrichment sessions, networking opportunities, times of corporate worship, prayer for the centres and opportunity for personal prayer, is all designed to minister to you in your work, in your personal life and in your walk with God.
As we reset the heart of the work, come and be a part of the story!
Keynote Speaker

Jenny Baines
Jenny has been involved in women’s ministry and in offering unintended pregnancy, post-abortion and miscarriage counselling for over 25 years. She has delivered training in the UK and other parts of Europe and the US.
Jenny now works as a consultant for OPEN, an initiative of CARE which aims to help create an environment within churches where these sensitive issues can be shared with grace and compassionate understanding.
Seminars
You have a choice of seminars throughout the weekend, designed to provide professional development and personal enrichment. When you book your place at the conference, you will also be asked choose up to four seminars to attend. Some of the speakers will be providing a stream of 3 consecutive seminars, others will give a stand-alone seminar repeated 3 times.
Biographies of the seminar speakers can be found further down this page.
Seminar | Speaker | Description |
---|---|---|
Developing Peer Supervision in your Centre | Dr Serena North and Dr Sue Elliott | A stream of 3 consecutive seminars providing training on peer supervision for use in your centre. Both speakers have considerable experience in training GP practices in peer supervision (see below). The modules will equip you to set up and run peer supervision within your context with confidence. |
Christian Mindfulness | Shaun Lambert | These seminars will provide an understanding and exploration of Christian mindfulness, self-care and compassion fatigue. This stream of 3 seminars will help you to refocus on ‘being’ rather than ‘doing’, with the result of being more effective and fulfilled in your ministry. It will be primarily focussed on self-care but will also provide invaluable insight in supporting clients as they process the emotional impact of pregnancy loss.This will be a stream of 3 seminars but delegates can attend each of these as stand alone seminars if they wish. |
Ethical and Medical Advances/Legislation | Professor John Wyatt and Naomi Marsden | These seminars will focus on ethics and medical advances in pre-natal screening. It will equip counsellors particularly in understanding the processes that clients are taken through, and the decisions they have to make, as they go through pre-natal screening during pregnancy.Alongside Prof Wyatt, we are delighted to have Naomi Marsden from CARE who will explain changes to the law regarding abortion both here in Great Britain, in Northern Ireland, in the Republic of Ireland and the Isle of Man. Naomi will also explore what these changes mean for the work of the centres.This seminar stream will give delegates a well-informed knowledge of current medical practices and changes in the law impacting the lives of clients.This will be a stream of 3 seminars but delegates can attend each of these as stand alone seminars. |
Supporting Clients with Perinatal Mental Health Issues | Jane Tyre | This seminar will look at Mental Health in pregnancy, with an explanation of Peri-Natal Depression and the ways to care for a client with these symptoms. Jane will also explore Post-Partum Psychosis. This seminar will be particularly useful for those supporting clients directly; for anyone working with referring agencies such as GP practices and hospitals; and for anyone liaising with Mental Health organisations in their area.This seminar will be repeated in three separate sessions. |
GDPR Compliance and Security of Data | Maureen Chaffe | Maureen has supported many local organisations in the voluntary, public and private sectors with their data protection procedures. This seminar will bring you1. The latest information on GDPR expectations for your centre2. The collection of statistics within GDPR principles3. Safe storage of data and will include time for questions about your centre. This will be a stream of 3 seminars but each one can be attended as a stand alone seminar. |
Facilitating Post Abortion Groups | Jenny Baines and Judy McGibbon with Mandy Barding | Jenny and Judy lead facilitated healing retreats for women who are struggling to come to terms with an abortion loss. They will look at successful ways of managing post abortion groups, working constructively through group dynamics, and meeting the needs of the individual in that setting. Mandy will also showcase some exciting new creative ideas to use with your clients.This seminar will be repeated in three separate sessions. |
Schools Work | Gareth Cheesman | This stream of 3 seminars will cover the following topics: 1. Approaching schools to support their RSHE2. RSHE in schools under the new statutory guidelines3. What do young people need to hear in RSHE?These seminars will provide high quality training in current issues for anyone involved in school’s work, or anyone thinking of starting a school’s work in their centre. Gareth will include updates on some of the new Government legislation regarding leading lessons, and teaching on how to approach issues of gender identity. In offering a framework for understanding the legal context of schools work, it will also be useful governance training for centre trustees. Again, each of these provides a stream of three but each one can be attended as a stand alone seminar. |
Naomi is a policy officer at CARE. She specialises in early human life issues including abortion and embryology, working closely with parliamentarians and other organisations to put human dignity and the sanctity of life at the heart of public policy.
Whilst working as a community youth worker, Gareth was trained to deliver Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), and worked 6 years for a Scripture Union associate trust, delivering RSE across Chester high schools. During this time, he worked with over 5000 young people focusing on the simple message that there is hope in a better view of relationships and sex.
Gareth joined ACET UK in January 2015 and, as Esteem Network Director, he trains and supports churches, charities and schools in tackling the delicate issues of relationships and sex from a Christian foundation. It is his role to help them be the best they can be in this essential field. He also delivers RSE in schools across the North West.
Mandy works in the Exeter Centre as part of the counselling team. She has developed a range of gifts and creative tools in response to the need of pregnancy loss clients to have discreet meaningful encouragements or momentos during their recovery.
She is a retired Civil Servant and trained as an advisor at the very first training course for Choices Pregnancy Centre, Exeter, 7 years ago. She has also been a trustee and part of the management team.
“I have been able to combine my love of craft and my CHOICES work to create little keepsakes and mementos for baby loss. I find that when someone has shared their heartache, especially during the early sessions of our step-by-step recovery programme, words can fail. To be able to hand over a keepsake for hope, feels right.”
Judy has been involved in local pregnancy crisis centres for 25 years, working directly with crisis pregnancy and post abortion clients, as well as managing centres and delivering training. She now works for PCN as their Director, and also supports Jenny Baines in delivering the weekend retreats for OPEN.
Maureen is Founder of Process Matters 2, and has more than 20 years’ experience making systems work more smoothly in local government, not-for-profit organisations and in the private sector. She understands how Data Protection legislation and IT security can be implemented in charities and the best ways for charities to make sure they stay on the right side of the law and remain compliant.
Jane is a Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Practitioner currently working for Cheshire & Wirral Partnership NHS Trust. She has worked as a Mental Health Nurse for over 18 years in a variety of community and hospital settings. As well as working at the frontline of patient care, part of her role includes training other professionals in this specialised area. Jane is passionate about achieving the best outcome for mums, babies and their families.
John Wyatt is Emeritus Professor of Ethics and Perinatology at University College London. He worked as a consultant neonatologist at University College Hospital for more than 20 years but is now concentrating on teaching and research into ethical dilemmas raised by advances in technology. He is Chair of the Kirby Laing Institute for Christian Ethics, and President of the Christian Medical Fellowship. He is a member of the Ethics Advisory Committee of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and has been frequently involved in professional and media debates on ethical issues concerning the beginning and end of life. His most recent book is “Dying Well” published by InterVarsity Press.
Shaun is a Baptist minister based in North West London. He is part of the New Wine leader’s network, and PREMIER Mind and Soul network, who has trained extensively in counselling and psychotherapy. He has been researching mindfulness since 2006, in different perspectives, including the psychological, Christian and Buddhist perspectives. He thinks mindfulness is a new social phenomenon which needs to be engaged with, especially as it is applied in mental health, work, education and learning, relationships, creativity as well as the spiritual.
Sue has recently retired as a GP principal and trainer in Hertfordshire but continues to practice as a locum. She is also an appraiser and GP locality lead for mental health. From early beginnings reflecting on Dr-patient relationships in Balint groups, Sue developed facilitator skills through courses at the Tavistock clinic and subsequently worked closely with John Launer and colleagues at the London Deanery (now Health Education England) to develop supervision skills workshops for health professionals based on the Conversations inviting Change model.
This work continues to develop with a focus on working experientially and multiprofessionally to help colleagues think about their work. Sue now facilitates a range of workshops relating to medical education both for HEE and for Trusts across London.
Serena is a retired inner city GP Principal, Trainer and Appraiser who now enjoys teaching communication, consultation and team building skills to multi-professional groups at all levels of development. She is a teacher of Supervision Skills for both primary and secondary healthcare professionals and is part of the individual support team for doctors and dentists in training. She is married to Charlie Colchester who, together with Lyndon Bowring set up the original Care for Life centres and training programme.
Booking Details
The cost is £250, which includes two nights' accommodation, all meals and entry to all sessions. All delegates are able to have single room occupancy at no extra charge. If you wish to share a room with a colleague or spouse, please indicate this on your booking form.
There are grant-making trusts which will accept applications for staff training. Please do make use of these to fund your team members attending the conference.
Click here to book your tickets and we look forward to seeing you there.