ANNUAL REPORT 2016-2017
A neutral third party , available because of you
Family Group Conferencing is a family-focused , strengths-based form of alternative dispute resolution . It brings families and professionals together to talk about concerns for children and young people , identify available supports , and decide on the best way forward . Participation by a family in Family Group Conferencing is voluntary . The process is confidential and facilitated by an impartial facilitator .
Lynne ’ s case study
“ An important element of this process is to have a chat with the kids about their wishes and worries ”
“ A family was referred to us by the Department of Family and Community Services ( FACS ) for Family Group Conferencing , as caseworkers had identified high extended-family conflict . Four siblings , aged five to 14 , went into emergency placement with a great aunt ( by marriage ) about 15 months ago , when their mother passed away suddenly . At the time of her passing , the mother had separated from the fathers , and they were both in the care of corrections . The emergency placement broke down , and the siblings were residing in separate placements – the eldest chose to stay with his great aunt , while his three siblings lived with maternal aunts . However , the caregivers were not amicable , so , as a result , the children had limited access to each other . The non-negotiables for Family Group Conferencing were that the siblings be given every opportunity to see each other on a regular basis , and that the carers not be a barrier for contact . An important element of this process is to have a chat with the kids about their wishes and worries . With their permission , these were read to the family at the start of the conference . The model for Family Group Conferencing provides for private family time , however in this case , due to the high level of conflict , the family wanted a caseworker to stay in the room . The family was then provided with ‘ guiding questions ’ that were paraphrased from the elements of the non-negotiables . They really struggled to address the issue of the children being able to see each other in normal extended-family situations , even when they were able to identify barriers to this occurring , such as grief , guilt and grudges . However , thanks to the intervention of the children by identifying negatives they would like to see the carers stop ( end the arguing and stop talking badly about each other ) and positives they would like to see start ( sleepovers , forgetting about the past ), the family was able to proceed to a positive outcome .”
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