Title: The use of Family Group Conferencing in Foster Care and Institutional Care
1The use of Family Group Conferencing in Foster
Care and Institutional Care
- Paper presented at Association of Childrens
WelfareAgencies Conference. - 18 -20 August, 2008
- Sydney Patricia Kiely
- pkiely_at_burnside.org.au
2About UnitingCare Burnside
- Innovative and quality programs to break the
cycle of disadvantage - 80 programs which operate in NSW include
- early intervention
- family support programs
- home visiting
- fathers support services
- youth programs
- out-of-home care programs including foster care
and residential care.
3Family Work Program
- Family and childrens counselling
- Group programs for children and families
- Consultation and support for other agencies
- Professional training
- Family Group Conferencing
- Develop resource materials for health and
welfare workers such as group work manuals,
posters etc.
4Childrens Experience of Meetings
- Meeting too large
- Children feeling they could not talk freely
- Not liking to be in the spotlight
- Feeling ignored
- Finding the proceedings boring
- Being unable to trust those at the meeting
5Family Group Conferencing
- Pre-conference preparation
- Conference - Information Sharing
- Private family time -
Discussion and ratification of the Action
Plan - Post conference
- Review meetings
6The use of Family Group Conferencing in Foster
Care and Institutional Care
- The needs of children in alternate care
- The opportunities that Family Group Conferencing
can offer children, young people, families and
carers - Case studies
7The Needs of Children in Alternate Care
- Connections with others
- Emotional needs
- Power and agency to exercise choice and
make decisions
8The opportunities that Family Group Conferences
can offer children, young people, families and
carers
- 1. Care planning at the point of entry into care
- Maintaining contact
- Resolution for the parents
- Participate in decisions
- Children have adequate information
- More family ties can be maintained
- The biological family might be able to provide
some supports and resources - Connections with siblings
- Restoration planning
- Provides evidence about whether parents are ready
to have their child restored - More integrated approach to planning
92. Case Planning at critical points
throughouttheir Journey in Alternate Care
- Everyone has a voice at critical points along
the care continuum - Access to appropriate supports
- Non adversarial approach for discussing issues
- Focus on positive and healthy functioning
- Strengths based approach
- Voice of the child heard
- Changes in case plan
- Advocates
- Action Plan is clear and contains factual
information
103. Planning for Independent Living when Young
People leave Care
- Reconnect with family
- Establish themselves outside care
- Continue support they need
- Modify entrenched patterns of relating
- Managing pregnancy in aftercare
- Contacting the father of the baby and his
family - Carers resolving issues
- Maintain contact with foster cares or
residential care workers
11Case Studies
- The Family Group Conference process changed
the situation -
- The parents became more co operative with the
foster care agency - The parents stopped their threatening phone
calls - They voluntarily stopped having contact with
their son - They agreed to go at their sons pace
- Police no longer required
- Changed the dynamics of the case conferences,
made them safer - More functional family members played a
positive part in the changes in the family
12Case Study 1 Working With the Biological Family
- The Family Group Conference process changed the
situation - It allowed the parents to understand their
childs perspective - Slow down the process of contact and
restoration - Develop strategies to make it easier for the
child - The carers were able to come on board with
the process - Everyone participated, was heard and respected
- Acknowledged the goals of the contract
- Developed the plan together
- Incorporated the familys ideas
13Case Study 1.
- Action Plan Questions
-
- What steps will each of us take to encourage
Sam to participate in positive and safe
contact visits with Amy and William? - How will we know when Sam is ready to have
contact with Amy and William? - What are some ways that we can ensure that the
contact feels safe and positive for Sam? - What are our realistic short-term and long-term
goals for contact between Sam, Amy and
William? - What is the first step that we will each take
to start this process?
14Case Study 2. Restoration Plan
- The Family Group Conference allowed them to make
viable plans to remain drug free by - Attending DA counselling
- Regular urinanalysis
- Attending parenting classes
- Having regular contact with their children
15Case Study 2. Restoration plan contd
- The Action Plan set out clearly
- What was expected
- What the statutory needed to assess adequate
progress - It held the Statutory and other workers to
account for their promises - Presented what was not possible
- It also allowed the child to retain ties to her
wider family
16Case Study 3.
- The Family Group Conference was called to
plan the restoration - Brought the wider family together
- Enabled the family to deal with Ginas sexual
abuse - The whole family offered support to care for
the children - Statutory service offered establishment funds
to enable Gina to have the children returned - The family showed the strength of their
commitment to the children - The family reclaimed their power as a family.
17(No Transcript)