At a meeting room in a Cornwall community centre, a sign on the door says: “Welcome to Megan’s family group conference.” Inside are seated a group of Megan’s immediate family, extended family and family friends – as well as 11-year-old Megan* herself. The facilitator (or “conferencer”) begins by saying: “This is Megan’s meeting.”
This is an example of a family group conference – an approach that helps families work together to solve their problems and avoid a child being taken into care. When a child comes to the attention of children’s services, the conference enables families to create their own network of support, with everyone working together in the interests of the child.
