Driving best practice in Family Group Decision Making

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill 2025 requires local authorities to offer a Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) meeting to parents prior to an application being made for a care or supervision order. To give all families an opportunity to come together and make a plan in response to concerns regarding the child’s welfare.

Family Group Conferences (FGC) are the gold standard of family group decision making approaches. They are internationally recognised and evaluated, with a set of clear principles. Join Family Rights Group for the launch of the updated Family Group Conference Toolkit – a practical step by step guide to family group conferences, including legal and practice guidance.

Family Rights Group has been at the forefront of the introduction and development of family group conference in the UK and continues to be. From introducing the approach in the 1990s, establishing and continuing to host the National Family Group Conference Network in 1999, publishing the Family Group Conference Toolkit in 2006 to co-developing the seven quality standards of FGC practice and quality assurance accreditation programme for family group conference services since 2013.

Learning outcomes

After attending the webinar participants will:

• Have a better understanding of the benefits of the family group conference approach
• Understand how it fits with the requirements of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill (2025)
• Have an overview of the FGC Toolkit and how it can aid partnership working between local authority practitioners and families.