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Providing insight, training and support to those working in and around social services with a focus on Family Group Decision Making
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Insights & News
A round-up of our 2026 annual Staff Conference, exploring the Social Model of Disability, Neurodiversity and how we can ensure our communication empowers those we work with.
In this article, our CEO, Debbie Burns, explores how Family Group Decision Making can support adult care planning. Here, we examine the potential benefits that Family Group Decision Making can offer adults and the wider networks around them.
Daybreak to continue providing Family Group Conferences for Reading Borough Council for a further three years
Practitioners need the skills to navigate 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. Now available for group and individual bookings.
As part of our ongoing work to improve access to family-led decision-making services for all, Daybreak has recently joined the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Dementia Alliance. Joining the Alliance enables us to increase our work, in partnership with communities affected by dementia, working collaboratively to explore, learn and better understand how family-led decision making can support individuals and their families.
At Daybreak, we welcome the release of the Department for Education’s Family Group Decision Making Best Practice Support and Resources guidance developed by Mutual Ventures. As a charity that has delivered Family Group Conferences and other Family Group Decision Making approaches for over 25 years, we recognise the significance for families and the wider children’s services system in establishing a nationwide set of expectations on this topic.
Our Training Manager, Michaela Stay, has worked supporting children, young people and families for her whole career. She has taken a moment to reflect upon one of those connections, and has shared it with us.
Our latest Impact Report detailing our progress towards our aims to ensure families and communities can problem-solve together. Family Group Conferences and Family Group Decision Making services and practitioner training.
Our early-intervention family support project, Dragonfly, in Portsmouth has received £10,000 funding from Southern Coop to work specifically with young people at risk of offending or reoffending.
Daybreak to continue providing Family Group Conferences for Wiltshire Council for a further three years
Our response to the national developments around Family Group Decision Making within Children’s Social Care and how we as a charity, are here to support.
We invite Children’s Social Care service managers, commissioners, and professionals to join us for a series webinars exploring this topic. These sessions will offer an opportunity to share our insights, and create space for reflection, dialogue, and peer learning.
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.
Today Foundations and partners have published Exploring local authority data and monitoring of family group conferences: Recommendations for a national data collection of Family Group Conferences, a new report that reveals gaps in the national picture of Family Group Conferences (FGCs), and launched further research including a national data collection, to fill these gaps.
Daybreak has secured a £50,000 funding boost from The National Lottery Community Fund and The Rayne Foundation to launch a new Portsmouth based project offering early community-based support for families with primary-aged children.
We recently had a conversation with our founder, Marilyn Taylor to celebrate 25 Years of Daybreak. In this series, we hear from Marilyn about what inspired her to set up the charity, the challenges they encountered and the lessons learnt along the way.
This week is National Adult Safeguarding Week. An opportunity for all those working within adult safeguarding and similar capacities to raise awareness of issues, and collectively come together and reflect on best practices and opportunities. The core theme for 2024 is Working in Partnership.
We wanted to take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on the role of Family Group Conferences (FGC) within Adult Safeguarding.
Want the insider take on supporting families as they work through their unique challenges? Then we have something special to share with you today. A few weeks ago, our team sat down with Kari Roberts to hear her insights into helping children and families navigate the problems affecting their lives, and she is perfectly placed to give us an expert’s perspective.
Daybreak, Family Rights Group and Wiltshire Council bring Lifelong Lings to Wiltshire’s care services support care leavers to find and form long term support networks.
Discover more about the Family Group Conference Coordinator role, from one of our team members Charlotte
Foundations has announced a new project to better understand the data that local authorities are collecting on the use of Family Group Conferences (FGCs). The work is being undertaken in partnership with Coram, Family Rights Group, Daybreak, and Data to Insight.
Local charities, Daybreak and Home-Start Portsmouth, have recently partnered to enhance their skills in supporting families facing challenges as part of the Portsmouth Family Hub project.
We are continuing to work with the London Borough of Bromley and their community for the next five years
Training & Events
Quick Links: Training Offer | Book Enquiry Call
For Local Authorities with a commissioned Family Group Conference service from Daybreak, we host regular referrer webinars exploring how to improve outcomes for families through this service. If you’d like to attend these events, please contact your Programme Manager for more information. Thank you!
We offer a Train the Trainer and Licensing Programme - Family Network Meeting Facilitator, designed to build both immediate capacity and long-term sustainability for Local Authorities responding to the latest reforms on Family Group Decision Making.
We pride ourselves on working collaboratively with organisations and Local Authorities seeking our support. We understand that training is an integral part of your services, and in order to be effective, it must be tailored to the needs of your communities and your workforce.
Alongside this, we know that many organisations and Local Authorities are preparing themselves to be ready in response to the increased focus and requirements on Family Group Decision Making services. This is in response to the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill and the Families First Partnership Programme.
As a result, we are welcoming organisations to get in touch to better explore how we can support you.
If you’d like to explore this in detail, or receive our FGDM Considerations & Recommendations Pack, please drop us an email at training@daybreakfgc.org.uk
Are you ready to take on a new and meaningful role supporting children, young people, and families?
This training course is ideal for those starting their journey as a Family Group Conference Coordinator. Suitable for Local Authorities, organisations or freelancers - this interactive, practice based course will equip learners with the skills and confidence they need.
£545 per person.
Available in person, online and as a group organisational bookings.
Join our free introductory webinar to discover more.
Is your organisation looking to utilise Family Network Meetings to aid family group decision making?
This CPD Accredited course explores the knowledge and skills required to facilitate a Family Network Meeting process, whilst celebrating the values and principles of family group decision making.
Available for group organisational bookings.
Do you work with children, young people, adults and families through Family Group Decision Making? Do you encounter conflict or relationship and communication challenges in your practice? Would you like to build confidence navigating challenging situations through mediation and communication skills? This is the course for you.
Available as group organisational bookings. Join our free introductory webinar to discover more.
Do you want to strengthen your ability to connect with others, manage conflict, and engage in meaningful, solution-focused conversations?
Join our interactive, virtual course designed for those in the charity, public or related sectors who want to develop and improve skills in building and maintaining positive interpersonal relationships.
Available online and as group organisational bookings. Join our free introductory webinar to discover more.
Are you delivering Family Group Conferences or Family Group Decision Making where domestic abuse or violence is a concern?
Do you or your team struggle with balancing collaboration and the risk of collusion? Keen to build confidence in this complex area?
Join us for the one-day virtual course to build confidence in managing Family Group Decision Making in the context of abuse, and develop skills to manage risk and promote collaboration without collusion.
Available online and as group organisational bookings. Join our free introductory webinar to discover more.
Join our interactive, virtual course to explore how lived experiences influence behaviour - and how trauma, stress and everyday challenges can shape the responses of children, young people and their families.
You will learn practical skills to recognise what sits beneath behaviour, support emotional regulation, and use restorative conversations to reduce conflict and strengthen relationships.
Available online and as group organisational bookings. Join our free introductory webinar to discover more.
Are you looking to use Family Group Conferencing (FGC) in adult welfare? Curious about the growing use of FGCs with adults?
This full course equips practitioners with the skills and practice to coordinate FGCs within the context of adult welfare. Should practitioners already be trained in FGCs for children, we also offer a conversion course into adult settings.
If you are interested in this course, please register your interest - or enquire about a organisational group booking.
Are you looking to use Family Group Conferencing (FGC) in adult welfare? Already trained and experienced in FGCs for children and families?
This course explores the different skills and knowledge required to coordinator a FGC process within the context of adult welfare - and it suitable for those already skilled in FGCs.
Available as a online course and for group organisational bookings.
With the DfE Best Practice Guidance now released, we invite Children’s Social Care service managers, commissioners, and professionals to join our second webinar series exploring Family Group Decision Making and the national guidance. These sessions will share our insights and create space for reflection, dialogue, and peer learning.
Are you interested in joining one of our continuing professional development courses? Would you like to learn more about them before booking? This webinar is for you. Book our place on Eventbrite today.
Interested in exploring a new path, and potentially becoming a Family Group Conference Coordinator? This is the webinar for you. Book your free space on our Eventbrite pages today.
Our Services
Quick Links: FGCs Children | FGCs Adults | Leaflet Hub | Case Studies
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Daybreak offers Family Group Decision Making services for Local Authorities and other relevant community organisations. We predominately do this via Family Group Conferencing, as well as Family Network Meetings.
Whilst Family Group Decision Making is a tool mostly seen to support Children’s Services, it is a powerful mechanism that can support any family unit in resolving a challenging situation and devising a plan - whilst keeping the child or adult who needs additional support at the centre of decision making.
As a result, Daybreak’s expertise and ethos can be a supportive benefit in a number of situations, across child and adult social care.
Regardless of why a referral is made to Daybreak, we offer a comprehensive and independent service. Our expert co-ordinators will consult with immediate family members to decide whether a Family Group Conference (FGC) or Family Network Meeting is viable. If it is, we then undertake all necessary work to ensure that the process is successful.
Daybreak works closely with social workers and other professionals to find solutions to challenges concerning children, adolescents and vulnerable adults whose safety or welfare may be at risk. We work independently but alongside the referring organisation to help deliver a plan that everyone supports.
Our work mainly involves delivering Family Group Conferences (FGCs) under contract to Local Authorities - as well as via community referrals. Below you can learn more about the referral process and access our latest referral form.
We also offer support to the professional community by facilitating training and professional development opportunities in this fields, including guidance for referrers.
If you are interested in commission are Family Group Decision Making service or our training offder please contact us: headoffice@daybreakfgc.org.uk
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We offer one-off purchasing options for professionals, organisations, and individuals looking for a person-led, restorative approach to support. This is available for anyone unable to access our support via an existing contract or program.
If someone you know is facing a life change or challenge, we can help. This may be around family relationships, making important decisions, or finding the right support.
To learn more, explore how we can help or arrange making a referral email headoffice@daybreakfgc.org.uk
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With over 25 years of experience in Family Group Decision Making across both Local Authority and community settings, we are a leading trainer in the field.
With the introduction of the Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill and the Children’s Social Care Prevention Grant, it’s more important than ever to equip your team with the right skills to provide effective, family-first problem-solving support.
Our expert trainers offer high-quality, impactful training by bringing decades of first-hand experience using restorative and solution-focused techniques into the training room.
In-person & virtual options
Group bookings & individual spaces
In-house & independent practitioners
Courses designed for your needs
Accreditation options available
“I feel inspired, positive and ready to embark on my new role. I feel more confident and have a good, thorough understanding of my responsibilities. I am so grateful!”
For more information, explore our Training Hub.
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At Daybreak, we see an increasing need and opportunity to bring the skillsets and principles of Family Group Conferences and Family Group Decision Making into the wider community, to enhance access, and to broaden the situations within which the approach is utilised.
As a result, and in support of our current strategy, we are exploring and establishing partnerships with community organisations in our current areas, with a particular focus on Berkshire and Hampshire. We see opportunities in the areas of; homelessness prevention, community cohesion, hospital discharges, family conflicts, domestic violence, and others.
Should you see an opportunity for Daybreak to get involved, or want to understand how we work alongside families and communities more, please do not hesitate to get in touch. We love hearing about the diverse ways organisations are engaging with local communities, and are keen to be creative to find ways to support organisations meet the needs of their beneficiaries.
A recent example is our work in Portsmouth, as part of the Dragonfly Project.
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It was a strong reminder to Lucy that her wider family, though mostly living a distance away, are there for her.
Professional
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I feel that having this meeting was really helpful to help Jay see that she has a support network she can access
Professional
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Children will feel reassured, the plan in place is strong and everyone knows who is responsible for actions
Professional