Family Group Conferences in Child Welfare

Peter Marsh (Author), Gill Crow (Author)

9780632049226, Wiley

Paperback / softback, published 14 October 1997

212 pages
23.3 x 15.7 x 1.6 cm, 0.312 kg

Professionals must increasingly focus on the importance of family involvement in making decisions about the welfare of a child who is abused or needing care. Family Group Conferences has evolved as a positive means to encourage good links between these children and their families, and to help children within the family environment--instead of taking the children out of their homes. This book assists professionals to put the planning and theory of these conferences into practice. It examines the context, origins and development of the conferences, using the research and experiences of social services. It looks at the interaction between the primary carer and the professional and the role of these conferences in relation to specific problems and situations, such as domestic violence. The book offers views from families, social workers and other professionals on the practicalities of Family Group conferences, how they are managed in practice, and their outcomes. Finally, the book includes examples from real-life family conferences.

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgements
1 Introduction: Care Services and Families:
Families, services and child welfare problems
Deciding seriousness
Engaging in the debate
Gaining agreement
Developing services
The Family Gorup Conference programme
Conclusions
2 Families and Child Welfare:
Families in the UK
Help and the family
The meaning of family
Conclusions
3 Family Group Conferences: Policy and Practice:
The background of Family Group Conferences
Key dimensions of a Family Group Conference
The process of Family Group Conferencs
A rough guide to co-ordinating Family Group Conferences
Conclusions
4 Establishing Family Group Conferences:
Implementation in child welfare
Training
A rough guide to training for family group conferences
The projects in action
Conclusions
5 International Developments and Research:
The international dimension
The research data
International research: key themes
Conclusions
6 The Process: Family Group Conferences in Action:
The conference members
The process
Participants' view of the model
Conclusions
7 Co-ordinators' Work:
Experiences of the "rough guide" traveller
Thinking of the conference as a special, theatrical event
The co-ordinator's conclusions
8 Outcomes:
The plans
Implementation
Outcomes
Comparing outcomes
Unplanned outcomes
Conclusions
9 The Next Stages: Child welfare, partnership and Family Group Conferences
Costs and benefits
Implementation
The way forward

References
Index.

Subject Areas: Social services & welfare, criminology [JK]