Family Group Conferencing
Family Group Conferences are intended as a respectful and empowering process in which parents, children, wider family members, family friends and professionals meet together and are given clear information about safeguarding concerns and are asked to produce a detailed plan to address those concerns and reduce risks to children.
Family Group Conferences originated in New Zealand and their Children, Young Persons and families Act 1989 made them central to practice where important decisions for children were made.
The Children Act 1989 has similar principles that underpin how Social Workers work with and interact with children and their families.
Family Group conferencing and the vital role that they can have in working towards sustained change in the family network provide for a child’s needs, as well as their safety.
Family Group Conferences are family led meetings where the family and friends, lead discussions, discuss actions and agree an overall plan for the child, usually underpinned by a number of agreed minimum standards.
The minimum standards are agreed safety or well-being goals that the family and any agencies have identified prior to the meeting.
Whilst the meeting is led by the family’s agreed agenda, the crucial role of the ACCA specialist will be to mediate, support and direct the conversations and agenda of the meeting to enable there to be an agreed plan that encompasses the specific goals, as well as other helpful support avenues.
Completion of preparatory work with all family members and professionals to devise agreed goals for the meeting, host the meeting allowing for break-out time where the family can discuss their plan as a group, finalise a SMART plan, and schedule a review meeting in a timescale suited to that child’s situation.
Family Group Conferencing – Benefits
The Family Group Conference has many benefits, to include:
The child’s interests are the paramount consideration
Provides an opportunity for a family to come together and agree on what’s best for their children
Is a voluntary decision-making process that can often help to avoid the need for court involvement
Provides a chance to plan for the family’s future and seeks to reduce risks to the child.
Makes sure the child’s voice is heard
Make decisions more quickly and bring together people who care about the child
Work in partnership with families to resolve their problems together - principle behind the Children Act 1989
Prevent family breakdown and a child becoming looked after
Resolve contact issues between parents or carers
Facilitate decision-making in private proceedings
Facilitate therapeutic justice program within a Youth Justice context
Is a voluntary decision-making process that can often help to avoid the need for court involvement.
Consider the return of a child/YP to their family, after a period in the care system
Resolve caring responsibilities for a family with a disabled child
Prevent placement breakdown, and significant disruption in a child’s care arrangements
