FGCs in the youth justice system

This chapter assesses Family Group Conferencing in the youth justice arena. FGCs in the youth justice field sit under the umbrella of restorative justice. Restorative justice is the process of bringing together the ‘victim’ of a crime with the ‘offender’ to enable dialogue between the two parties with a focus on ‘repairing the harm’ to the victim. The restorative process is aimed at creating an outcome where the victim feels that justice has been served and that the offender is taking responsibility for their crime. The result is a ‘personalised’ justice process because it is the ‘victim’ who determines what needs to happen for them to feel that justice has been served. The chapter then looks at the ReConnect project, an FGC service based within Leeds Youth Offending service, to demonstrate that there is a broad need for family-centred responses to youth justice issues.

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.

Conclusion

This concluding chapter argues for the potential of family group conferences (FGCs) to lead to positive outcomes for families in a diverse range of social work practice areas. The research and evidence base, while patchy, is clear on this. Policy makers, practitioners, and advocates of the FGC process have a responsibility to ensure that the practice does not become marginalised by austerity measures and increasingly risk-averse practice contexts. After all FGCs not only embody the key principles of key social work legislation and policy in the UK but also the values of social work practice. Indeed, the principles of FGCs are clearly aligned to the International Federation of Social Work definition of social work and the model provides the opportunity for local authorities to become increasingly reflective of the holistic approach to social work practice.

Addressing domestic abuse through FGCs

This chapter focuses on the use of family group conferences (FGCs) in cases of domestic violence and abuse (DVA). In the case of DVA, there is a disconnection between the family, domestic abuse services, child protection services, and child contact. Evidence highlights the potential of FGCs to galvanise relationships between families and professionals, and among professionals themselves. For example, research into the state-wide implementation of FGCs in Hawai'i found that the conference approach enabled professionals to understand each other's professional responsibilities, enhancing communication and leading to an improved service response to meeting the needs of families. More specific research into the use of FGCs in DVA cases undertaken in North Carolina found the potential of FGCs to offer an inclusive and coordinated response to families, bringing together families, domestic abuse support professionals, and child welfare professionals to plan for the safety of children.

Introduction

This introductory chapter provides an overview of family group conferences (FGCs) in the UK. FGCs have been used in the UK since the early 1990s and are now used worldwide following their inception in New Zealand in the 1980s. FGCs belong to an area of social work practice often known as ‘strengths based approaches’ because they seek to utilise the existing and developing strengths of the family and reduce or eliminate concerns. They are used in a wide range of social care child welfare situations from early intervention onwards, but recent use has focused upon their use in child protection, pre-proceedings, and proceedings cases. Ultimately, they seek to empower families: their key principles include the family as primary decision maker, the use of private family time, and the independence of the FGC coordinator.

An international perspective

This chapter assesses family group conferences (FGCs) as an international model of decision-making. FGCs are used in at least 20 countries across the globe. They are internationally recognised as an effective way of engaging families in decision-making processes. As the model has been applied in other countries, it has been adapted to reflect the cultures and the historical and policy context of individual countries and jurisdictions. Some of the processes are very similar to the original New Zealand model while others are very different and are hybrids of the original model. The chapter then studies the different levels of service implementation of FGCs and considers some of the outcome studies from seven countries. It also focuses on China as a case study for a country attempting to introduce FGCs as a culturally appropriate method of child protection practice.

Research, policy and practice

This chapter examines research evidence that underpins family group conferences (FGCs) and addresses its implications for policy and practice. There are powerful value-based reasons for engaging with FGCs. The evidence base around the process of FGCs is strong; families find the process, in the main, empowering and engaging. Meanwhile, the evidence base in relation to the outcomes of FGCs is mixed in relation to both safeguarding and care placements, as studies have found positive, negative, and neutral outcomes following FGCs. There is no doubt that there is a requirement for more outcome-focused studies of FGCs. Nevertheless, as many researchers argue, there is enough evidence and professional and family-based experience to make a powerful argument for the embedding of FGCs in child welfare policy and practice.

FGCs and adult social care

This chapter addresses the use of Family Group Conferencing in adult social care. For FGCs with adults, professional guidance and legislation has been supportive from the beginning. Advocates of FGCs welcome guidance and the introduction of key concepts such as personalisation, wellbeing, and person-centred approaches. Indeed, the foundations are in place for FGCs to become an embedded part of adult social care policy and service delivery for vulnerable adults. The messages from research are clear: FGCs offer the potential to engage families for the benefit of vulnerable adults consistent with the underlying principles of legislation and policy. For this to pick up speed and for the practice of FGCs in the UK to develop, it is important for FGCs to roll out into a wider range of adult settings such as adult mental health, and among more populations, including offenders, prisoners, and homeless people.

A guide to convening a FGC

This chapter provides guidance for convening a family group conference (FGC). The FGC process is designed to be family-led and empowering. As much of the decision-making as possible should therefore be undertaken by the family, including decisions about the practicalities of the meeting. It is also important to consider the role that advocates can play in ensuring that the views of vulnerable family members are represented. An FGC can only be an empowering process for families if individuals are enabled to express their views. Ultimately, it is a complex and time-consuming piece of work and should be undertaken by a skilled and well-trained and supported coordinator. Indeed, ongoing training and support for coordinators is crucial and should include full FGC training, safeguarding training, and shadowing opportunities.

The theoretical context for FGCs

This chapter discusses the core theoretical concepts that relate to family group conferences (FGCs). Social work theory has long shaped the practice of the profession, but it is only in recent years that social workers are being asked to evidence the theoretical basis to their interventions, in assessment and court reports. As such, it is crucial that social workers understand the theoretical basis to their work and for them to be recognised as skilled and research-informed practitioners in their own right, given the evidence-based practice landscape of social care. For policy makers, having an understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of the FGC model and the relationship between FGCs and what is considered to be good social work practice is significant. The theoretical framework ensures that the model is given credibility and offers the potential for it to become a viable alternative to existing processes.