Why have a Family Group Conference (FGC) and when could it help?
All families have problems from time to time, and sometimes need help to sort them out. An FGC is a way of getting your family together to find a way forward.
There are many situations when an FGC could be useful including when:
- A child or other family member is at risk.
- Decisions are needed about where a child or other family member should live.
- The family need help to cope better.
- Someone needs support to live a safe and independent life.
So, for example, an FGC could be beneficial to a family trying to deal with:
- A child’s poor school attendance.
- Youth offending.
- Substance misuse.
- Domestic violence.
- Elder abuse.
- The challenges arising from lone parenting.
What happens at an FGC?
An FGC is a meeting of an extended family and friends to make decisions and plans to resolve problems concerning a child, young person or vulnerable adult.
A social worker and/or other professionals familiar with the family’s situation will be there to share information and the meeting will be chaired by a Daybreak coordinator. But it is the extended family and friends who are the most important participants. It is essentially their meeting. They discuss and they decide how they want to move forward.
An FGC meeting always has three parts:
- The first part is chaired by the coordinator, who welcomes everyone and asks the social worker to share information about the issues to be resolved and the resources available to the family. The family can ask questions and discuss the situation with them.
- The family are then left by themselves for the most important part of the meeting, the private family time, when they make a plan to help the child, young person or vulnerable adult.
- In the last part of the meeting, everyone comes back together to agree the plan and formalise commitment to it. The family also arrange a time to meet again and assess how well the plan is going and whether any changes need to be made.
The process is sensitive to the diverse nature of families. On request it can be held in the first language of the family, with translation provided for others if needed.
It also takes place in accordance with any particular wishes of the family. For instance, some families may like to start with a prayer. Others may want an elder to open the meeting.
The meeting is normally held in a neutral place, where the family want it to happen and feels comfortable. An example of this would be a community centre.
Participants always share refreshments or a meal together, which signifies the importance of the meeting and is a normal and positive way in which families celebrate being together.
How is the FGC arranged?
An FGC requires very careful preparation and all the organisational work is carried out by an experienced coordinator. If Daybreak is asked to arrange an FGC for your family, this person will be independent, not someone employed by the local authority.
They will visit you to explain what an FGC involves and what issues it needs to address. If you then wish to go ahead, the coordinator will discuss with you which other family members and friends should be invited. You will also be asked for your views on where the meeting should be held.
The coordinator will then contact all invitees, tell them about the FGC and try to smooth out any obstacles that might deter their participation.
If someone needs an advocate or supporter to enable their participation, an appropriate person will be identified and helped to prepare for this vital task. This can be particularly important for a child, a victim of abuse, an older person, or someone with a disability.
The coordinator will be then facilitate the meeting itself.
What makes an FGC different?
If you are offered an FGC, it will be your meeting. You will decide who should be invited and where it should be held. Above all, the most important discussion will take place between your family members.
Everyone will have the opportunity to say what they think and together you will make a plan for the future. Social workers and other professionals will support you by sharing information to help you decide what would work best and what assistance you need.
The active participation of children, young people and vulnerable adults in their own FGC is crucial. After taking part they consistently report that they felt they were heard by those attending the meeting and treated with respect and dignity. This is often in stark contrast to meetings where professionals take centre stage, such as Child Protection Conferences.
An FGC can also bring together a network of other people to share the problem and offer solutions, including members of the local community.
For instance, a youth leader, members of a faith group or someone from a voluntary organisation may be invited by the family. It builds on the strengths of families and communities, rather than leaving individuals to struggle on their own.
Plans made this way are nearly always far more creative and wide ranging than any made by professionals. This is because they do not have the intimate knowledge and lifetime commitment of parents, grandparents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins, and close friends.
When the family choose steps most appropriate to their situation, there is a much higher chance of everyone being committed to the plan. It is therefore more likely to be successful: it is difficult to commit to a plan devised by others for you to implement.
What happens after the FGC?
Once a plan has been agreed and accepted, everyone needs to work together for it to succeed. The coordinator will make sure all those involved get a copy of the plan, and sometimes will arrange a follow-up meeting, normally within three months.
At the follow-up meeting, everyone comes back together to check that the plan is working and decide if anything else needs to be done.
