Family Group Conferences (FGC)
The Family Group Conference (FGC) service is made of up of a team of independent co-ordinators who are also trained mediators and advocates.
FGC co-ordinators work to support and advocate for children, young people and their families at any stage during a child’s involvement with Children’s Services.
This could be for example:
- with young people most at risk of going into care
- when families wish to be reunited after a child has experienced care
How a Family Group Conference can help
Family Group Conferences (FGCs) are family meetings that help and support family decision-making.
The Buckinghamshire FGC service is free to access and will only take place with yours and your family's consent.
An independent co-ordinator will organise the meeting for you, inviting all the friends and family that you wish to have there – this can be anyone who loves or cares for your child and wishes to protect them.
Why hold a conference
All families experience challenges. When things feel difficult to manage, the people who are close to you might be able to help.
A Family Group Conference (FGC) gives you and the people who are important to you and your children, a chance to get together and come up with a plan to make things better.
When families work together to find solutions they can reduce and end the need for professional involvement to help safeguard children.
How the conferences work
With your agreement, somebody who is already working with your family will need to refer your family. This could be a Social Worker or Family Worker. They will later attend the FGC to share information and explain their worries.
Someone from the FGC team will meet with you initially to talk about how things are for you and your children. They will also talk to you about:
- how you and your children would like to take part in the family meeting
- who you would like at the family meeting
- when or where is a good time to have the family meeting
- any refreshments you would all like to have
How we involve children and young people
The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is central to the FGC, so co-ordinators will do their best to support children to attend their family meetings.
To make the FGC a positive experience for the child or children, the co-ordinator will:
- make sure the timing of the FGC is appropriate for them
- meet them to explain the process and listen to their wishes and feelings
- support them to share their own view at the conference or offer to share their views on their behalf if they don't feel comfortable doing it on their own
What happens at the conference
There are 3 key stages to the FGC meeting.
This is the part of the meeting where your family gets the information needed to make your family plan.
The professional most closely involved with your family or who has referred you to the FGC, will explain why they are worried about your child and what they can do to help you.
You will have the chance to ask them questions and to be clear about what they are saying. They will then leave the meeting.
You, your family and friends will be left on your own, without the professionals, so that you can talk openly and privately about the information that you heard and come up with solutions together.
The co-ordinator and other information givers stay in another room.
If your children are at the meeting, they might also be invited to leave and go into another room, with supervision, while you make your family plan.
Everyone comes back together and someone from your family will share your plan with the information givers who were there at the start.
The plan is usually agreed by the referring social worker or family worker, as long as the plan covers what is needed and is a safe plan for you and your family.
Feedback from families
The following is some feedback we have received from families who have had Family Group Conferences in Buckinghamshire.
“I am very happy with the family meeting and wish I could've had one when I was younger.”
“It was a great meeting. My family and friends have been a great network for me. Thank you for being so welcoming and treating my family and friends fairly.”
“There have been some really challenging times for all involved, but you have made the process so much easier and we have come up with a great plan which we will all make sure we stick to.”
“It was good that we could chat to the boys and they were involved in decision making and know what is happening.”
Contact us
Telephone: 07710 145228
Email: [email protected]