A new rapid evidence review of the literature on families’ experiences of being offered Family Group Conferences (FGCs), conducted for Foundations by Coram and Family Rights Group, has found that there is a large gap in research on what being offered an FGC is actually like for families. It also found that there is a further gap on how this is experienced by families who have protected characteristics, such as families from ethnically minoritised communities or parents/carers with disabilities.
The UK Government announced in November 2024 that it plans to make the offer of family group decision making (FGDM) for families at the pre-proceedings stage mandatory. FGCs are a well-evidenced form of FGDM that many local areas already use widely, so it is likely that many local authorities will use the FGC model to fulfil this mandate. Today’s evidence review is part of a wider research project designed to provide insights on the experiences of families being offered an FGC, and help service providers understand how they can best enable families to accept the offer of FGC, ultimately helping to keep more children safely with their families.
The evidence review published today focuses on the factors that influence a family’s decision to turn down or take up the offer of an FGC, particularly for families from minoritised ethnic and other marginalised groups. The review identifies several barriers and enablers to families accessing FGCs, and highlighted some common reasons why families do or do not accept the offer of an FGC.
While there are some clear barriers, including negative previous experiences with statutory services and lack of belief in the effectiveness of the intervention, the study also identifies some factors which help families feel able to accept the offer, such as control over the practical arrangements of the meeting.
In addition, the review summarises factors which might affect practitioners’ decisions on whether to offer an FGC to a family. The findings suggest for example that there are sometimes misunderstandings amongst social workers about what an FGC is, but workforce attitudes and practices are also highlighted as essential enablers for families. The relationship between families and FGC coordinators is a major factor that influences families’ likelihood to take part in the FGC. The study emphasises the importance of coordinators empowering families to take ownership of the FGC.
The findings of the review also demonstrate the vital importance of the referral and preparation phase for building trust between the coordinator and family members. Although this period requires significant time and effort, it is essential if coordinators are to secure the benefits of the FGC for the family involved.
The study highlights a significant gap in the research on marginalised families’ access to and experience of FGCs, including the factors that might influence their decision on whether to participate. The only research identified here related to minoritised ethnic families, however more work is needed in this area too to further understand the nuances of their experience. From the evidence that was identified, it’s clear that cultural competence and an inclusive setting are vital, particularly in terms of giving families control over practical factors, such as location, and including elements in the meeting itself which may be important to a family’s cultural or ethnic identity.
Elizabeth Raws, Research and Evaluation Officer in Coram’s Impact & Evaluation team and lead author, said: “The research gap found by this evidence review shows how important the wider research project is. Only by understanding why parents/carers choose to take up or turn down the offer of FGC can we make FGC more accessible to families, especially families with protected characteristics – who may be more likely to miss out.”
The full findings are available here.