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Sign in or register for an accountA Family Group Conference (FGC) can bring about positive changes for you and your family.
A family group conference is a decision-making meeting to sort out family problems. This offers family members, including children and young people, a chance to get together to agree a solution.
We believe that families know more about their situation than professionals and can often make better decisions and plans for their children.
Our aim is to support families in doing this. Family Group Conference is a voluntary offer, meaning that it is up to the family to decide if they wish to take part.
Examples of what a FGC can achieve include:
resolving child protection issues
dealing with concerns around neglect
drawing up care plans for children with significant disabilities
ensuring that children whose parents are seriously ill continue to receive the care they need
supporting a parent with a mental or physical disability
helping relatives to care for children or young people
improving school attendance
addressing problems caused by divorce or separation
Before the conference, an independent coordinator:
Will meet each family member to help them prepare for the meeting
Help the family to decide who should be invited and when and where the meeting should take place
Will support children and young people to play a central role in the meeting
Information shared with the coordinator will remain confidential unless it poses risk to someone.
There are three stages to a family group conferences:
Stage 1: Information giving
The workers most closely involved will explain to the family:
Why they are worried about the child/young person.
What resources and services are available to support the family.
The family may ask for any additional information they may need to help with the plan.
Stage 2: Private family time
This is time for the family to talk in private so that they can:
Discuss the information given
Work out and agree a plan
Decide who will do what
Decide what support they need
Decide how they can check the plan is working
Come up with a contingency plan
Stage 3: Agreeing the plan
Once the family have agreed the plan:
This is then shared with the co-ordinator and social worker
The plan will be accepted unless it places the child/young person at risk or does not address the original concerns.
The plan will be written up by the coordinator and copies will be sent to everyone involved in implementing the plan.
If families cannot agree a safe plan it may be possible to hold another FGC. If this is not possible, alternative ways of resolving the original concerns will be made by the Children's Social Care team and the coordinator.
Referral from school who had concerns over a 14-year-old boy. His mother was a single parent who was also caring for three younger children. She was struggling to care for the 14-year-old who had a declining record of school attendance and had been damaging property and staying away from home overnight.
Outcome:
At the Family Group Conference, it was agreed that the child would spend regular weekends with his grandparents. His aunt, meanwhile, would support his mother in attending meetings at the school.
It was also agreed that an older cousin, who was felt to be a positive influence, would spend more time with the boy.
Referral from Health Visitor. A mother with a terminal illness had two children, aged two years and six months. Neither father played any role in the family's life. There were concerns both about the current situation and about who would care for the children after their mother's death.
Outcome:
The mother's parents and the paternal aunt of one of the children agreed to make regular visits to check on the mother's well-being. The grandmother agreed to help take the older child to nursery.
It was agreed that the children would spend alternate weekends with an aunt and uncle, who would also provide long-term care.
The mother's local authority agreed to provide a nursery place for older child immediately and for both children in the future as the aunt and uncle worked full time.
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