FGCs with marginalised communities
This chapter discusses family group conferences (FGCs) and marginalised communities. FGCs offer an alternative and more sustainable approach to working with families who are marginalised or socially excluded. Used in the right way, and with due regard paid to the culture and context in which families are living, FGCs are a powerful and effective intervention. The danger is that practitioners and services believe that it is automatically culturally competent, and they need to be aware that it operates as a framework that embraces culture if true partnerships are formed with families and they are empowered to make choices about the way that the model works for them. In order to do this, practitioners must be able to have conversations with families about their cultural beliefs, values, and practices and work with them to ensure that the FGC embodies this. Furthermore, FGCs have the potential to strengthen and build communities and social capital.