Families, young people, civic leaders and professionals from Leeds and Bradford are being invited to join one of West Yorkshireโs largest gatherings focused on parenting, inclusion, safeguarding and youth opportunity, as the Afrikindness Parenting & Inclusion Conference returns to Leeds this October.
Parents across Bradford and Leeds are often navigating increasingly complex conversations around raising children, safeguarding, SEND and neurodiversity, mental health, cultural expectations and relationships with professional services.
Yet these conversations do not always happen in the same room.
This October, Afrikindness is aiming to change that.
On Saturday 24 October 2026, parents, young people, community and faith leaders, educators, health and social care professionals, local government representatives and other organisations will gather at Bridge Community Conference Hall in Leeds for the Afrikindness Parenting & Inclusion Conference 2026 โ APIC2026.
Under the theme โBeyond Assumptions 2.0: Reimagining Parenting, Youth Voice & Professional Practice,โ the conference will create a space where families and professionals can have open, practical and sometimes difficult conversations about what it takes to support children and young people well.
Leeds and Bradford communities are being specifically invited to take part.
Civic leaders, professionals and community representatives are also expected to contribute as speakers and delegates, reflecting the conferenceโs wider ambition to strengthen relationships and learning across Leeds, Bradford and the wider West Yorkshire region.
Moving beyond assumptions
At the heart of APIC2026 is a simple idea: families, young people and professionals understand each other better when they have the opportunity to listen to one another.
Too often, assumptions about culture, parenting styles, behaviour, disability, safeguarding or family circumstances can create distance between parents and the professionals supporting them.
APIC2026 aims to replace some of those assumptions with conversation.
The programme will explore issues including safeguarding and parental rights, SEND and neurodiversity, mental health and wellbeing, culturally responsive parenting and professional practice, youth voice, complex parenting experiences and relationships between families and services.
The conference is expected to feature up to 50 speakers and contributors, including civic and community leaders, professionals, practitioners and people with lived experience.
Rather than simply listening to presentations throughout the day, parents will have opportunities to hear different perspectives, ask questions, participate in discussions and connect with organisations that can offer practical support.
Young people will have their own space
A major part of this yearโs conference is a dedicated Youth Employability Workshop for young people aged 15 to 21.
While parents and professionals participate in the main conference, young people will take part in practical sessions designed to prepare them for education, employment and a rapidly changing workplace.
Topics will include CV and cover-letter writing, interviews, LinkedIn, career planning, job-market research, communication, personal branding, teamwork and resilience.
The workshop is intended to give young people more than inspiration. The focus is on practical tools they can begin using immediately.
For families travelling from Bradford, this means APIC2026 is not only an opportunity for parents to learn and connect; their teenagers and young adults can also access a dedicated development programme on the same day.
Bringing parents, professionals and communities together
Afrikindness believes the strength of the conference lies in who will be in the room.
Parents will sit alongside professionals.
Young people will have their own platform.
Community and faith leaders will contribute alongside practitioners and civic representatives.
Families with lived experience of SEND, neurodiversity and complex systems will be part of conversations with organisations involved in supporting them.
This mix is intended to make the conference different from a traditional professional event. The aim is not simply to discuss families, but to ensure families are part of the discussion.
APIC2026 builds on Afrikindnessโ wider work with parents, children, young people and communities across West Yorkshire, including parenting support, neurodiversity initiatives, youth programmes, community research and work focused on strengthening relationships between minority ethnic communities and public services.
A regional invitation to Every Parent
Although the main conference takes place in Leeds, organisers are keen for APIC2026 to be seen as a regional West Yorkshire gathering rather than a Leeds-only event.
Bradford parents, young people, educators, health and social care professionals, voluntary organisations, faith groups and community leaders are being encouraged to attend.
The conference will also provide opportunities to meet organisations offering support across areas including parenting, education, safeguarding, SEND, neurodiversity, mental health and community wellbeing.
For Afrikindness, bringing Bradford and Leeds communities together is particularly important because many of the challenges families experience do not stop at local authority boundaries.
The conversations around inclusion, belonging, parenting, young people and access to services are shared across the region.
More than a conference
The organisers hope that people will leave APIC2026 not simply with notes from another event, but with new connections, practical information and a stronger understanding of perspectives different from their own.
For parents, that may mean greater confidence navigating services or understanding their child.
For professionals, it may mean hearing directly from families whose experiences challenge existing assumptions.
For young people, it may mean leaving with a stronger CV, better understanding of the workplace and greater confidence about their next step.
And for communities, it is an opportunity to help shape conversations about what inclusive support should look like across West Yorkshire.
Join APIC2026
The Afrikindness Parenting & Inclusion Conference 2026 takes place on:
Date:- Saturday 24 October 2026 | Time:- 9am - 4pm
Venue:- Bridge Community Church, Leeds LS9 7BQ
The main conference will run alongside the dedicated Youth Employability Workshop for ages 15โ21.
Parents, young people, professionals, educators, community and faith leaders and organisations from Bradford, Leeds and across West Yorkshire are warmly invited to attend. There will be food, free parking, childcare available.
Come with your questions. Come with your experiences. Come ready to listen to perspectives different from your own.
Because moving beyond assumptions begins when families, young people and professionals are finally in the same room.
Join us at APIC2026.
For programme information, speakers and registration, visit:
APIC2026 REGISTRATION LINK
Sponsors
Nudge Education Limited
The National Lottery Community Fund
