All families have challenges or find themselves in challenging situations at some point.
A Family Group Conference or ‘FGC’ is a way of getting a family and its wider support network to come together and find a way forward by creating an safe and robust action plan. Its also a opportunity to listen to the person at the centre, perhaps a child or adult in need of additional support.
There are many situations where this approach can be useful; for example, establishing a way forward after a family conflict or separation, managing concerns around school attendance or behaviour or in situations where safety is more a concern, such as youth offending, substance abuse or domestic violence.
Daybreak is here to work alongside you - and we believe that the earlier people work together to resolve challenges, the better the outcomes can be for everyone involved. We are currently working on developing more ways where families can access earlier help through the community.
When a situation has developed and a child’s safety is being monitored by children’s services, often a professional or social worker will refer a family to an Independent Co-ordinator to facilitate the conference. Daybreak offers this service to several Local Authorities currently.
The core principles of Family Group Conferences are to be independent, to be family-led* and to hear the voice of the person at the centre.
These values are fundamental to the way in which we work at Daybreak, complementing our core principles of how we work with people. Family Group Conferences are an approach can be utilised in a wide range of situations. If a family or group have a need to resolve a challenge where a proactive plan can support them - a Family Group Conference is a useful tool.
Often, in the UK they are used in times of crisis or risk. In these situations, we currently support five Local Authorities in their offer of Family Group Conferences to families with children on the edge of care. As part of our future goals, we are actively working with local community organisations to find more ways to utilise this approach much earlier for families, or where people simply need support and risk is not the primary concern.
*By family, we mean invited extended family, friends, and members of the local community.