Family Group Conference Procedure

This Procedure relates to the following CYS Policy: Prevention and Earlier Intervention, Strengthening Families and Building Connections, Needs and Strengths Based Services, Working within the Statutory System

Purpose

To outline the steps that Child Protection staff and Family Group Conference Facilitators must follow when making a referral to a family group conference (FGC), preparing for, attending and taking follow up actions in relation to that FGC.

Applies to

• Child Protection staff and Family Group Conference Facilitators

Legislation

• Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1997: Part 5 – Children in Need of Care and Protection: Division 1 – Family Group Conferences

• Part 9 Commissioner for Children, Advisory Panels and Facilitators: Division 3 – Facilitators:

Procedure

Decision to convene a Family Group Conference (FGC)

A FGC must be convened under the following circumstances:

1. whenit is required under the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1997 (the Act) during an Assessment Order made for that purpose, or prior to extending a Care and Protection Order;
2. whenit is ordered by the Court;
3. whenit is requested by the child or two or more family members;
4. whenthe Team Leader considers that the child is at risk and that a FGC would be the mostappropriate way of making arrangements forsecuring the care and protection of the child, or reviewing arrangements for the child.

Referral and approval

A FGC takes up to six weeks inclusive of preparation and finalisation. The Team Leader must ensure that the referral is completed at least six weeks prior to the expiry of the Care and Protection Order or Assessment Order.

1. Following the decision to convene a FGC, the Child Protection Worker (CPW) must:
2. print the biographies of all available facilitators from the region from the CYS Online Practice Manual;
3. provide copies of biographies to the family and ask them to select a first and second preferred facilitator to facilitate the conference;
4. create a new FGC referral in the Child Protection Information System (CPIS);
5. work with the family to establish all details necessary to complete a quality referral (see FGC Practice Advice) and enter those details into the CPIS referral;
6. record the name of the preferred facilitators nominated by the family in the CPIS referral;
7. update and include the Tasmanian Risk Framework Assessment, or most recent Signs of Safety Mapping and Assessment document for the child; and if available, attach the genogram;
8. provide rationale for any recommendations regarding case complexity (requiring over 10 hours of preparation by the facilitator), co-facilitation or out of region preferred facilitator (see FGC Allocation and PaymentProcedure for additional payment criteria); and
9. submit the referral to the delegate for approval in CPIS.
10. The Team Leader must:
11. check the referral for quality (see FGC Practice Advice), note any decision regarding payment rate, co-facilitation or out of region facilitator, and approve the referral in CPIS; and
12. notify the Client Support Officer of the new referral for allocation.
13. The Client Support Officer must allocate the referral to the preferred facilitator in accordance with the FGCAllocation and Payment Procedure.
    

Preparation

1. The facilitator must:
2. review the referral;
3. meet with Child Protection staff to gather additional informationand discuss potential invitees and any additional requirements for the FGC;
4. meet with the family to discuss the their wishes, the process, potential invitees, confidentiality and support needs(an FGC must not proceed if the facilitator has concerns about confidentiality or the safety of participants);
5. meet with the child or young person to discuss their wishes, the process, potential invitees and support needs;
6. meet in person with as many attendees as possible;
7. for an Aboriginal child, consult with the child, the child's guardians and with an appropriate recognised Aboriginal organisation as to who should be invited to attend the family group conference and the time and place of the meeting;
8. fix a time and place for the family group conference so that it is held within 3 weeks of receiving a referral;
9. complete individualInvitation Formsspecifying the time and place of the FGC and send to all invited people including;
10. the child (if the facilitator believes that the child is able to understand or participate in the proceedings and if it is in the child’s best interests to attend;
11. the parents and/or guardians of the child (unless it would cause an order to be contravened, or if it would not be in the best interests of the child for that person to attend);
12. the relevant Child Protection Worker, Team Leader, or other staff member/s from Child Protection Services;
13. the separate representative for the child if one has been appointed; or another person whom the facilitator considers suitable to represent the child as his or her advocate unless the facilitator is satisfied that the child is mature enough to make, and has made, an independent decision to waive his or her right to be represented by an advocate at the FGC;
14. Other people who had been identified in the consultation outlined at points c, d and f above as well as any others who should be to attend the FGC in addition to the people listed above who must be invited (see FGC Practice Advice).
15. book a suitable venue and make all practical arrangements for the FGC (See FGC Practice Advice).
16. If, during the preparation stage, the facilitator considers that they may be eligible for payment at the complex rate, or additional costs are necessary for the FGC; the facilitator must make a request to the Team Leader in writing (see FGC Allocation and PaymentProcedure).

Family Group Conference

Information Sharing

1. During the information sharing phase the facilitator must:
2. introduce the participants and provide the agenda for the conference;
3. remind all participants of confidentiality provisions under the Act;
4. introduce the Signs of Safety approach to lead a discussion.
5. facilitate information sharing between the participants;
6. ensure that sufficient information is provided to the group by Child Protection staff about the child's circumstances and reason why Child Protection Services are involved;
7. ensure that the views and needs of the child or young person are conveyed to the conference, either directly or through his or her advocate
8. support each attendee to contribute information and their views about what needs to happen for the child; and
9. convey to the group the views of any invited participants who are absent.

Break

1. After the information sharing phase of the conference, the facilitator must provide an opportunity for participants to have an informal break to share food and drinks and for the family to ask any questions of the professionals informally before entering into private family time.

Private Family Time

1. Following the break, the facilitator must:
2. allow the child and the child's parents/guardians and other family members an opportunity to hold discussions in private to develop a family plan; and
3. offer any information or support needed by the family to make their plan.
4. The facilitator must remain nearby to answer any questions that may arise and to assist the family as required
5. The child protection workers and any relevant participants must remain available either nearby in person, or by phone to clarify information for the family if needed.

Finalising the FGC

1. After private family time the facilitator must:
2. reconvene the conference and allow the family to present their decisions and their plan to the group;
3. facilitate a discussion between participants where there are questions, differences of opinion and issues related to planning to identify alternative ways of addressing the identified issues;
4. make sure the plan includes timelines, responsibilities and how support will be provided by family members and services to ensure the plan can be implemented successfully;
5. make sure the plan includes the names of the people at the FGC; the details of the time and place of the FGC and any recommendations for the review of the arrangements;
6. facilitate signing of the planby the people present who concur in the decision;
7. ask the participants to provide feedback using the FGC Feedback and Evaluation Form; and
8. sealall the completed Feedback and Evaluation forms in reply paid envelope addressed to the Conferencing Coordinator and return by post.

Actions following the FGC

1. As soon as practicable following the FGC, the facilitator musteither:
2. Finalise the Outcome Report Form and attach the original signed family plan; or
3. complete a No Outcomes Report Form (if the FGC failed to reach a decision); and
4. The facilitator must provide a copy of the relevant report to;
5. the Team Leader; and
6. the child or young person;
7. any advocate or representative who represented the child at the FGC;
8. the child’s guardians;
9. any other person involved in implementing the family plan developed at the FGC;
10. any other person who the facilitator considers appropriate; and
11. if the FGC was convened due to a court order: to thecourt, the child, the advocate and each other party to the proceedings.
12. The Team Leadermust:
13. record the FGC Outcomes in CPIS and attach the Outcomes Report or No Outcomes Report; and
14. consider the family plan within the Outcomes Report and either support or not supportthat plan, and submit the FGC Outcomes to the Child Protection Manager for approval in CPIS;
15. The Child Protection Manager must consider the Outcomes Report and either:
16. approve the Family Plan within the Outcomes Report; or
17. reconvene the FGC so that the Family Plan can be reconsidered; or
18. not approve the family plan and take alternative action to ensure the care and protection of the child. Any alternative action must be documented in CPIS.
19. The Child Protection Manager must advise the following people in writing, of his or her decision:
20. the facilitator;
21. the child;
22. any advocate or representative who represented the child at the FGC;
23. each parent/guardian;
24. any other person involved in implementing the arrangements within the family plan.
25. If the Child Protection Manager decides to reconvene a FGC because the initial family plan wasn’t approved, or if the FGC failed to reach a decision, the Child Protection Manager must also notify everyone who was invited to attend the initial FGC.

Document Management

1. The facilitator must return the referral and anydocumentation received or created throughout the preparation of the FGC to the Child Protection Worker.
2. The Child Protection Worker must scan and enter hard-copy documentation into CPISas case note type FGC Documentation. However, no record regarding anything said or done during an FGC should be made or stored. This information is inadmissible. The only record from the FGC is the Outcomes report (including the Family Plan) or the No Outcomes Report.

Quality Indicators

• The CPW has provided biographies of all available facilitators to the family.
• The facilitator appointed is one of the preferred facilitators nominated by the family.
• The facilitator has consulted with the Aboriginal organisation in the case of an Aboriginal child.
• Private Family time has occurred during the FGC.
• The facilitator has returned Feedback and Evaluation forms to the Conferencing Facilitator for all FGCs
• Outcome Report or No Outcome Reports are attached in CPIS for all FGCs.
• The Child Protection Manager has advised the parties in writing of the decision following a FGC.
• The FGC is finalised within 6 weeks of the facilitator receiving the referral.

Required Documents

• Facilitator Biographies
• Invitation Template
• Outcomes Report
• No Outcomes Report
• Feedback and Evaluation Form

Relevant Documents

• Practice Advice – Family Group Conferencing
• Procedure - Selection Training and Contract Managementfor FGC Facilitators
• Practice Advice – Selection Training and Contract ManagementforFGC Facilitators

• Procedure – FGC Allocation and Payment
• Tasmanian Risk Framework
• Signs of Safety Assessment and Mapping Tool

Compliance with this procedure is mandatory for CYS staff and FGC Facilitators