West Berkshire – Family Group Conferences
IYPP PROJECT
2. The Model
2.1 Underpinning Theoretical Principles
Family Group Conferences (FGCs) are facilitated by an Independent Co-ordinator whose task is to bring together formal (professional/agency) and informal (family/community) networks in a collaborative decision making process.
‘Family’ is defined broadly to include children, siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins other relatives and family friends. At the conference family out number the professionals and they will always have private family time (without any professionals present) to make a plan for the child. The aim is to empower families to take control of problems facing them and to share collective responsibility with professionals for resolving family difficulties.
The process first developed in New Zealand and led to dramatic reductions of children in public care and in the courts and has since attracted wide international interest (Hudson et al 1996, Nixon 1998). Research on this approach in the UK has demonstrated high levels of satisfaction with the process from families and professionals (Lupton et al 1995, Lupton and Stevens 1997, Marsh and Crow 1998) and victims of crime (Jackson 1998).
Research on FGCs to date is indicating that children and young people are far more likely to be active participants in this type of decision making meeting compared to other forms (Lupton and Stevens 1997, Crow 2000). Furthermore parents are more likely to feel supported and be offered help by the wider family group with the parenting task (Marsh and Crow 1998).
Outcome studies in the UK suggest children are better protected by this approach (Marsh and Crow 1998), it reduces the need for legal proceedings (Smith and Hennessy 1998) and that it can reduce conflict and risk of exclusion in schools (Crow 2000, 2001). There is however still the need to evaluate longer-term outcomes from the perspectives of family members and children in particular (Lupton and Nixon 1999).
2.2 The FGC Process Context in West Berkshire
In practice, the FGC model used for the IYPP Project in West Berkshire was:
An agency worker explains the FGC process to the family. If they are in agreement with a referral taking place, a referral form is completed and sent to the project.
An independent coordinator is allocated to the family and they initially meet with the referrer to discuss their expectations of the process, clarify a bottom line and talk about safety.
The coordinator then works alongside the family to identify who will be useful to invite to the meeting, talk about when and where the meeting can be held and clarify the expectations of family members.
All family members and agency staff attending the conference will be visited by the coordinator to prepare them for the meeting. Baseline information is shared and attendees are asked to think about their role in the meeting and what responsibilities and resources they bring.
2.3 The Family Group Meeting
On the day of the conference, family and staff gather together for the meeting. A meal is prepared for the family and very often this is shared at the beginning of the meeting. The meeting is then held in three distinct stages:
1. Information Sharing
This part of the meeting is facilitated by the co-ordinator. Introductions are made and the agency staff are asked to share with the family the reason why a Family Group Conference was initially called. They then share information about concerns, risk and resources that the family may want to include in their plan. Staff are asked to bring information to the FGC that is jargon free and factual. The family is then given the opportunity to present their own information and to ask detailed questions of the agency staff present. When all the information is clarified the agency staff and the co-ordinator leave the meeting so that the family can be alone.
2. Private Family Time
This is an opportunity for family members to discuss the issues at hand in private. Very little is known about what really happens in private family time, as it is sure to be different for all families. However, this is when the family uses their own skills and resources to produce a plan for change. This process can take as little as five minutes and up to 4-5 hours, depending on how long the family feels they need.
3. Agreeing the Family Plan
When the family has produced their plan, they call the co-ordinator and referrer back into the room. The family are then encouraged to present their plan and provided it fulfils any safety criteria laid down by the referrer, the plan is accepted. This part of the meeting is used for clarification of the plan and the co-ordinator ensures that they have all the information they need to take the plan away and reproduce it for all members present.
The final part of the meeting is when the co-ordinator asks the family members for a volunteer to monitor the plan and to set a date for a review meeting.