Sharing your support services at a Family Group Conference

A Family Group Conference brings families and support workers together to plan a way to keep kids safe and well.

Find out how to prepare for a conference if you’re invited to talk about your support services.

During the conference

Aboriginal facilitators help families create a Family Plan.

Family plans:

• show how a family will work on the care, wellbeing and safety of their kids
• make sure parents and kids have support from extended family, community and support services.

Getting invited to a Family Group Conference

You might be invited to be part of a Family Group Conference if:

• you already work with a child, young person or family that has been offered a Family Group Conference
• your agency has support services it could provide the family now or in the future.

A Family Group Conference facilitator will contact you to invite you to be part of the meeting. They’ll:

• explain what happens at a meeting and your role
• ask you to talk about your programs and services
• answer any questions you have.

Before the meeting, you must sign an agreement to keep the family’s business private.

At the meeting

You’ll have about 5 minutes to:

• talk about the help your service can provide
• answer questions the family has.

Your role is to be:

• strengths-based
• future-focused
• clear about your programs and services to empower the family to make child-focused decisions.

The family will decide whether they will include your program or services in their Family Plan.

What to share at the meeting

You should talk about your agency’s programs and services, including:

• referral processes and waiting lists
• how long each program and service can support the family
• what results the family can expect.

If you’re already working with the child, young person or family

You could share some information about the service you’re providing, whether this can continue and what it may look like.

What to bring

Bring a brochure or some information the family can look through during the Family Yarnin stage of the meeting.

If you cannot attend the conference

You can instead:

• invite a work colleague to attend in your place
• attend by video or teleconference
• give the FGC facilitator your information and they will present it to the participants.

Find out more

If you’re working with a family that may benefit from Family Group Conferencing, contact a case manager at Child and Youth Protection Services:

• North team 6207 1069
• South team 6207 1466

Learn about Family Group Conferencing.