Jersey to host inaugural Vital Skills Summit bringing together leaders in safeguarding, leadership and AI

Jersey is set to host its first Vital Skills Summit next spring, with leading academics from Durham University travelling to the island to take part in a one-day event focused on safeguarding, leadership, shared responsibility and the growing role of artificial intelligence.

The Summit will take place on Tuesday 31 March 2026 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in St Helier and is expected to bring together professionals from health, education, social care and the charity sector. Organisers say the event is designed to explore how safer environments can be created for those who are cared for, supported and educated across different systems.

The event is being organised by Life Vital Academy in association with Durham University and is described as the first of its kind to be held in Jersey. While attendees will come from a wide range of professional backgrounds, the central theme of the day is that responsibility for safety and wellbeing is shared, even when pressures differ between roles.

The programme has been built around four guiding values: responsibility, kindness, learning and community. Organisers say these principles reflect the reality of working in complex systems, where decisions carry significant weight, respectful challenge is essential, curiosity should be encouraged and collective care for people and communities underpins professional practice.

The Summit’s lead keynote will be delivered by Professor Carleen Firmin MBE of Durham University. Her address will focus on Contextual Safeguarding, examining how harm can occur beyond the family home and why safeguarding approaches must take account of the wider social contexts in which young people live.

Professor Catherine Reading, also from Durham University, will facilitate the Summit and deliver a keynote exploring the role of artificial intelligence in professional decision-making. Her session will examine how AI is increasingly used in assessment, planning and accountability across health, education, social care and the voluntary sector, and what this means for professional judgement and responsibility. The focus will be on practical application, including where responsibility sits when technology informs decisions, the risks involved, and principles that can guide ethical and safe use in high-stakes environments.

Speaking ahead of the event, Professor Reading said the Summit offered a timely opportunity for professionals to reflect together.

“Artificial intelligence is increasingly present in the systems we use to make decisions that shape people’s lives,” she said. “This is a chance to think clearly about shared responsibility and to explore how emerging tools like AI can support, rather than undermine, safe and ethical practice.”

Further keynote speakers are due to be announced in the coming weeks as the programme is finalised.

Geoff Benning, founder of the Vital Skills Summit, an educator and former intensive care nurse, will also deliver a keynote address. His session will focus on kindness, leadership and the everyday behaviours that contribute to safe professional environments.

Mr Benning said the event was intended to encourage professionals to move beyond traditional boundaries.

“Whether you work with patients, pupils, families or communities, you carry responsibility every day,” he said. “This Summit is about stepping out of silos and into shared learning, because safety is not owned by one profession — it is built between us.”

Alongside the keynote programme, the Summit will feature exhibitors and a series of short “skills in action” talks throughout the day. These sessions will highlight how safeguarding, leadership and ethical decision-making are applied in day-to-day practice across different sectors.

Attendance will be capped at 400 delegates. Early bird tickets are available until 15 February, priced at £125, with standard delegate tickets costing £175 and charity sector tickets £150. The event will be CPD accredited, with full-day attendees receiving the applicable CPD hours.

The Vital Skills Summit is open to professionals working in health, education, social care and the charity sector and is being billed as a significant opportunity for Jersey to host international expertise while creating space for discussion around responsibility, culture and safeguarding.

Further information and tickets are available via Life Vital Academy. Media enquiries can be directed to Geoff Benning at geoffbenning@lifevitalacademy.co.uk.