Family Group Conferences

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A Family Group Conference (FGC) is the most powerful and impactful meeting within Social Care and is recognised as an effective way of safeguarding and providing for children within their family.

Forward4Families well-established Family Group Conference model has allowed us to extend FGC services within Private Law Proceedings and Adult Services.

Family Group Conferences are a cost-effective way of keeping children safe. The use of FGCs will achieve measurable outcomes in five key areas:

  • The resolution of Child Arrangements in divorce and/or separation
  • The avoidance of the need to instigate Care Proceedings
  • The prevention of an admission into Local Authority care
  • The progression of plans for the rehabilitation of children and young people to parental or kinship care
  • The progression of Child Protection Plans
  • The identification of alternative family network carers

Collaborative Decision-Making in Divorce and Separation

The use of Family Group Conferences for families going through separation and divorce is an innovative approach to collaborative decision-making, which seeks to settle or minimise private family disputes out of court. The main advantage of using the Family Group Conference model in Private Law cases is that it recognises the importance of extended family members in the life of children as well as addressing the individual needs of children and the wishes of the parents. Family Group Conferences may be the way forward in enabling the family to arrive at a joint decision and at an earlier stage. This is likely to be more supportive, will preserve children’s relationship with other family members and will reduce the impact of separation upon them.

 

The major decisions affecting the children are likely to be:

  • Where they will live
  • The arrangements that will be made for them to spend time with each parent, grandparents and other close relatives
  • Special provisions, if any, which might need to be made about such matters as education, religion, health and travel
  • Any other support that is required to meet their needs

Leaflet

 

See attached

 

To make an enquiry or referral: info@forward4families.co.uk