SSCR PGR at Brain Injury Social Work Group (BISWG) Conference 2026

What Happened at the Event?

When: 10th September 2026. 📅

Where: The Foundry, Victoria Hall in Sheffield. 📍

Who Was There: over 110 professionals, researchers, and people with personal experience of a brain injury. 👥

What Was it About: 🤝

• The event looked at how brain injury affects people who already face additional life challenges (marginalised groups). 
• It looked at how support services can do a better job. 

The Talks: 💬

• Speakers shared real-life stories.
• They talked about unfair rules (systematic barriers).
• They talked about making choices (mental capacity), emotional healing (trauma-informed care).

First Public Talk: 👤🎙️

• PhD Researcher, Craig Andrews, gave his very first public conference presentation about his project. 

Working Together: 🧩

• Craig is working with the Sheffield Community Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team (SCBIRT).
• They want to find out and fix local care for understand and fix gaps in local care for family and friends of those affected by brain injury. 
• The audience provided positive feedback and supported as Craig moves into the next steps of his PhD.

The Result: 👍

• The event shared important work on people who are impacted by acquired brain injuries, including their friends and family.

On the 10^th of September, more than 110 passionate professionals and people with lived experiences of brain injury attended the Brain Injury Social Work Group (BISWG)  Conference at the Foundry, Victoria Hall in Sheffield.

This year’s conference focused on a critical theme: “The Intersection Between Marginalised Groups and People with Acquired Brain Injury”. Throughout the day, presenters and attendees explored how overlapping vulnerabilities impact survivors’ experiences, systemic barriers to care, and engagement with essential support services. exploring how overlapping vulnerabilities impact survivors’ experiences and engagement with brain injury support services. The agenda included important  insights into mental capacity, trauma informed practices, and deeply moving personal stories from people impacted by an ABI.

University of Sheffield PhD Researcher, Craig Andrews, was invited to present an update on his current project alongside a strong lineup of expert speakers. He had the following to say about his experience:

I shared my current project progress and outlined how I plan to address the project’s goals moving forward through my collaborative work with the Sheffield Community Brain Injury Rehabilitation Team (SCBIRT) to bridge gaps in community-based care for unpaid ABI carers. I was also pleased with the response received. This marked my first-ever public conference presentation, so I found the event to be a valuable experience and an important milestone in my PhD journey."

Craig Andrews

PhD Researcher

Craig’s presentation received engaging questions and praise from the audience, validating the importance of his work.

Overall, the day served as a powerful reminder of how much work is still needed to dismantle the systematic barriers faced by marginalised ABI survivors and their families.