- Family Group Conference
Family Group Conferences (FGCs) originated in
New Zealand . They were originally used to allow social work practice to work with and not against Maori values and culture. [ [http://www.familypower.org/library/au05_pakura.html The Family Group Conference 14-Year Journey: Celebrating the Successes, Learning the Lessons, Embracing the Challenges ] ] TheChildren, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989 made them a central part of practice and services where serious decisions about children are to be made.The process has four main stages, which includes a meeting where professionals inform the family of the concerns they have, followed by private family time,where the family alone develop a plan that addresses the concerns that have been raised. The plan is then presented to the professionals who should support it if the concerns have been addressed and it does not put the child at risk. The meetings are facilitated and co-ordinated by people independent of casework decisions in the agency working with the family
FGCs are used in care and protection cases. They have also been described as the ‘lynch-pin’ of the New Zealand youth justice system. [ [http://www.justice.govt.nz/youth/fgc.html Youth Justice Process in New Zealand - Family Group Conferencing - Youth Court - New Zealand ] ]
Family Group Conferences worldwide
FGCs are used in many countries. [ [http://www.frg.org.uk/pdfs/Family%20Group%20practices%20report.pdf Presentation for WWW survey with Gale Burford ] ] In the United States, they are known as Family Guided Decision Making. In the Netherlands, they are known as Eigen Kracht Conferenties (Own Power Conferences).
References
External links
* [http://www.cyf.govt.nz/1254.htm Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand]
* [http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pc_fgdm_what_is American Humane]
* [http://www.frg.org.uk Family Rights Group, UK]
* [http://op.eigen-kracht.nl Eigen Kracht Centrale, Netherlands]
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