A family group conference (FGC) involves the family in decision-making when involved in child welfare or juvenile justice systems. Developed in New Zealand, it incorporates Maori kinship traditions and involves three steps: informing family members, allowing them to discuss and come up with a plan, and providing support. FGCs work best with older children and have been helpful in domestic violence and child protection cases, reducing recurrences of problems.
A family group conference (FGC) is a tool for including the family in the planning and decision-making process when involved in child welfare or juvenile justice systems. An FGC is intended to give the family a say in how to resolve issues that have brought them into contact with child protection agencies or the courts. The family is the center of planning, with support, resources and guidance provided by public agencies, community service groups and the courts.
The family group conference concept was developed in New Zealand in the 1980s. The FGCs were, in large part, due to the Maori people of New Zealand, who strongly felt that child welfare laws did not reflect a real understanding of Maori kinship traditions. A family group conference incorporates the Maori idea that a family, including extended family, gets to know each other best and will make a strong contribution to ensuring they stay together. Some models of the FGC are now used in countries around the world. In the United States, it is sometimes referred to as family-led decision making.
A family group conference has three basic steps. Child care professionals inform family members about family problems of which they become aware. These could involve absenteeism, neglect, inadequate supervision or drug use and domestic violence. The family is then given alone time to discuss areas of concern with each other and come up with their own plan to resolve issues. If there are no child safety concerns, the family plan is usually approved and is supported by outside resources to make it work.
Family group conferences work best when older children are involved. Younger children, especially if they have been subjected to some form of physical abuse, may need to be placed away from home, ideally with extended family members, until parents can learn healthy discipline methods and coping skills through lessons or therapy. Even when younger children are involved, parents still retain an active role in developing the plan to correct the family’s problems.
The family group conference has proved helpful in the areas of domestic violence and child protection. If the family is involved in the justice system, the judge will be made aware of the plan and will be able to arrange additional resources for the family if needed. Statistically, family group conferences reduce the recurrences of the problems they are supposed to address.
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