Family Group Conferences

Family Group Conferences

Mediation First now offers Family Group Conferences as part of their professional services.

We facilitate Family Group Conferences with families who are working with Universal Services, Children’s Services, Police or any other professional service, from Child Protection and PLO through to Early Help. Family Group Conferences are a restorative intervention, much like mediation, whereby we work with families to find a plan or solution to create meaningful and sustained change.

A Family Group Conference works to bring together the network around a child/children formed of family members, significant others in the child’s life and key professionals working with the family. We do this by meeting initially with all key participants in the child’s life individually to prepare for the meeting and answer any questions and then we find a date that everyone can attend, either virtually or in person, for the Family Group Conference itself. Children and young people are normally involved in their own Family Group Conference, although often with support from an advocate.

Our team is made up of fully qualified Family Group Conference Coordinators that have many years’ experience of working and practising within Children’s Services and are fully committed to facilitating interventions with families that offer the opportunity for long term, meaningful and sustainable change.

Mediation First is open to receiving referrals from local authorities, the police and other services working with children. We’re unable to accept referrals for Family Group Conferences from private individuals.

Please email FGC@mediationfirst.co.uk to make an enquiry or a referral.

The mediation was a huge help in sorting out our arrangements amicably

Thank you for helping us to have an honest conversation and think proactively about our next steps. You did it with professionalism and kindness.