Joint winners, both with initiatives supporting the wellbeing of looked-after children, have been awarded the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD) 2022 Outstanding Innovation Award. Jemma Facenfield was awarded for her 'Dental Clinic for looked-after children and adolescents' and Lucy Ridsdale for 'Dental Care Pathways for looked-after children'.

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Jemma, as part of Plymouth's Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE) operates a 'Children in Care Clinic', supporting children and young people in the care system, who are at risk of particularly poor oral health due to lack of access to dental services and living circumstances. The clinic has extended its age criteria to 21 years, which means that young people leaving foster care can now be included. The clinic adopts a trauma-informed approach working closely with both the child, the foster carer and health professionals to ensure the experience is as comfortable as possible.

Lucy's 'Dental Care Pathways' project aims to improve dental care for looked-after children in Yorkshire and the Humber. This pathway facilitates access to dental care for these children and shares information about their oral health with local authority and health teams. The pathway takes a child new to care through a process connecting the health team to the foster carer, inviting a dental assessment. Ultimately, the child's oral health status and needs are recorded in their personal care plan by the paediatrician and shared with the wider team supporting the child. Prior to implementing the pathway, paediatricians would not always undertake an oral assessment as part of the child's health assessment.

Jemma was recognised specifically for her dedication to improving health inequalities in children and engaging with different stakeholders to make a difference. The BSPD judges were impressed at how she led this project and developed all the resources to help support looked-after children and provide them with access to dental care.

Lucy was recognised for her dedication to improving health inequalities in children and providing a clear pathway for looked-after children. The judges were impressed with how she steered the project and rallied the support of the North Yorkshire and Humber Paediatric Dentistry MCN and LDC and LDN Chairs to put together this important care pathway. There is the potential for this initiative to be rolled out nationally and have a long-lasting effect.