Supporting Southend-on-Sea City Council’s Family Group Conference team with Professional Development
As part of our bespoke training offer, Daybreak’s Training Manager Alison Powney recently visited Southend-on-Sea City Council to deliver a one-day continued professional development (CPD) course. This session focused on refreshing participants’ skills and knowledge around Family Group Conferences (FGCs).
FGCs provide families with the opportunity to come together with their wider support network to address challenges, informed by input from professionals. Currently used primarily within Children’s Social Services, FGCs are facilitated by an independent practitioner who takes a restorative approach to empower families to lead the decision-making process.
Southend-on-Sea Council operates an in-house FGC service within its Children’s Social Services. Six members of the FGC team attended the session. In preparation, Alison worked closely with the team manager and the training and development team to gain a clear understanding of their needs and develop a tailored curriculum aligned with their training goals and organisational priorities.
"One of the highlights of delivering training across the UK is meeting new teams, learning about their services, and exploring how we can meet their unique needs – all while promoting and supporting high-quality Family Group Conference practice. As Family Group Decision Making grows in use across the country, it’s increasingly important to blend service needs whilst ensuring we maintain model integrity."– Alison Powney, Daybreak’s Training Manager
The in-person training helped participants to strengthen their practice by revisiting:
The importance of actively engaging children and parents in identifying their wider support networks
How effective preparation can empower the support network to take ownership and lead the process
Strategies for preparing all participants to ensure meaningful engagement and maximise the likelihood of positive outcomes
Recognising, understanding, and addressing 'practice drift' to uphold the integrity of the FGC model
A particular focus of the day was also on building participants’ confidence in addressing complex cases, including the safe and appropriate use of FGCs in the context of domestic abuse and violence - without collusion.
Joanna Hickey, who organised the training on behalf of Southend-on-Sea Council, shared her feedback:
"I had pre-discussions with Alison, and she covered all the topics, aims, and objectives I wanted. She was so engaging and focused. I wish I had booked her for two days – there was so much more to cover and learn, and Alison was so knowledgeable. It was absolutely amazing — interactive, creative, and engaging for everyone at all levels."
One attendee commented: “I am certainly feeling refreshed from this training. Alison was engaging and often opened the floor for discussions.”
At Daybreak, we offer a range of training opportunities. In addition to our programme of Daybreak-hosted courses, we also deliver bespoke sessions for organisations, covering a wide range of topics related to Family Group Decision Making and restorative practice.
To find out more about how we might help you, please email the team at training@daybreakfgc.org.uk. Alternatively, visit our Training Hub to see what we have on offer.