CYP Now has collected the views of children's services experts from a range of backgrounds to hear what they think the key challenges and opportunities will be in 2016 across services for children, young people and families.
Every year, two events are guaranteed to re-energise my diminishing bank of optimism - the judging for the CYP Now Awards, and the awards ceremony itself.
An election result that defied pollsters, turmoil in children's charity funding and plummeting adoption figures - 2015 was a turbulent year. Test your knowledge of the past 12 months' events in children's services by taking the CYP Now quiz!