SEND Local Offer - Family Group Conference

Family Group Conference

The Everleigh Centre
Penhill
SN2 5HB

Please refer to providers website for latest prices

Children and young people

Family Group Conference works with families and friends to find solutions to address family and professional concerns. They work with families at all stages, from early intervention to all levels of social care involvement. The specialist team are dedicated to empowering families to stay together and come up with solutions on how to do this, ensuring that it is safe for everybody involved.

Children and young people are normally involved in their own family group conference, although they are often supported by an advocate. An independent Family Group Conference coordinator will prepare the family for their meeting and explore support from extended family members and friends.

During the meeting, which can be held in person or online, professionals set out their concerns and offer advice on what support could be available. Family members then have private family time to make a safe plan for the child. The family will also have the opportunity to attend a further meeting three months later to review their plan. Family Group Conference also offers Restorative Conference. This is a process that brings people together and allows them to discuss difficulties within the relationships that are having an impact on them and their children.

The focus is on the future and reaching agreements that support healthier relationships by making a plan for change. The theory behind this style of mediation is that a person can dispute facts, but they cannot dispute how something has made someone feel. Emphasis is around listening, in the hope that this can provide answers as to why a person has acted the way they have.

Staff have a range of skills and experience to support the families that they work with. They work flexibly to meet the needs of families and professionals, ensuring that meetings run on a date and time that is suitable for all.

Family Group Conference is a voluntary process and families must consent to a referral. Families are referred into a service through a professional body, such as through the Local Authority. Individuals are unable to self-refer.

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