Introducing Our New Course: Mediation Skills in Family Group Decision Making
Over the past year, we have been working closely with Family Group Decision Making practitioners and service managers across England in response to the increasing requirement for local authorities to offer Family Group Decision Making services to children, young people and their families. As a result, we have gained a greater understanding of what practitioners and services need in order to deliver Family Group Decision Making confidently, meaningfully and in line with best practice guidance.
Our training services vision is to “ensure that families and individuals across the UK can access high-quality Family Group Decision Making services, supported by a network of well-trained, skilled professionals”. As services develop, we are committed to continuing to meet the needs of the workforce by diversifying our training offer and listening to practitioners.
Through our conversations with practitioners, our training programmes, and our Family Group Decision Making focus webinars, the need for greater confidence and skills in mediation and managing conflict has consistently been raised.
As a charity delivering Family Group Decision Making services across the continuum of need (from early help and prevention through to high-risk safeguarding situations) we know that many families experience conflict, trauma, disagreement and challenges. These difficulties can lead to situations escalating, and issues between individuals remaining unresolved.
Practitioners need the skills to navigate these situations with care, compassion and confidence, while remaining aware of risks and safety. In direct response to workforce feedback, we have developed a new course: Mediation Skills in Family Group Decision Making.
We were delighted to deliver the course recently for practitioners at Walsall Council as part of their ongoing practice development training, alongside our Domestic Violence and Abuse in Family Group Decision Making course.
“What an amazing two days of Mediation training it was. You inspired the team with such confidence and supported them with your expertise. Your energy, clarity and generosity created a space where everyone felt empowered to learn and grow” – Anu Paul, Walsall Council
What will practitioners learn?
Developed in direct response to current practice issues and specifically for those working in family group decision making, this course equips practitioners to:
Demonstrate a clear understanding of mediation values, principles and models, particularly in the context of working with children, young people, adults and families through family-group decision making at all stages.
Facilitate difficult conversations using restorative communication techniques to de-escalate conflict and promote constructive dialogue.
Recognise, assess and respond to conflict safely and effectively, including an understanding of parental separation, child–parent/adolescent conflict, the impact on wider family relationships, and readiness for mediation.
Support individuals and families to resolve disputes collaboratively, enabling them to reach realistic, sustainable agreements.
Challenge behaviours, assumptions and viewpoints appropriately while maintaining empathy, impartiality, professionalism and psychological safety.
This interactive two-day course includes plenty of practice opportunities in a safe and inclusive learning environment. Taking a whole-family approach, it explores how mediation skills can be applied across all stages and models of Family Group Decision Making, helping practitioners empower families to lead their own solutions.
“Really good two days. You have given us confidence in what we are doing.”
We are currently welcoming group bookings from organisations across the UK, with a Daybreak-hosted course scheduled for early November. Further course information and booking is on our dedicated course page.
If you are interested in this course, please email training@daybreakfgc.org.uk to speak to our team.