Child Protection

While unhealthy dynamics and violent behaviours in families lead to the intervention of government officials to protect children, these same families often have resources and knowledge needed to break the cycles of negative behaviours. Restorative practices -- such as family group conferencing -- offers an opportunity of involving extended family members and social service agencies and the troubled families in the process of find responses and solutions.

Coming Together for Sam: FGDM (FGC) Helps a Family Find a Solution of Its Own

From the Restorative Practices E-Forum by Lynn Welden: The Gordon family (names are fictitious), of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, USA, recently experienced a life-affirming restorative process — a family group decision-making (FGDM) conference (also called family group conferencing or FGC). The family (four young adult children — two boys and two girls — their divorced parents, Linda and Bob, as well as several members of their extended family) came together in an FGDM conference to help 17-year-old son Sam take better control of his life. The process worked extremely well for Sam, but what the family didn’t expect, they said, was that the FGDM would also enhance their connections and relationships in many other ways.

Vera announces new role for Family Justice: former spin-off to provide technical assistance as a Vera program

from the news release: The Vera Institute of Justice announced today that it is integrating the national technical assistance initiatives of Family Justice, an independent nonprofit organization, into its portfolio of work. Operating at Vera as the Family Justice Program, the initiatives will continue to provide training and support to community-based organizations and government agencies in corrections, probation and parole, and juvenile justice. Family Justice grew out of La Bodega de la Familia, a Vera demonstration project on New York’s Lower East Side that broke new ground in tapping families as a resource in dealing with addiction and involvement in the justice system. Over the years and through strategic partnerships, Family Justice developed tools and methods that extended its services into juvenile and adult facilities across the nation. Family Justice’s approach, drawing on clients’ families as a support network, has resulted in changes such as enhanced visitation policies and the adoption of strength-based case management practices.

Mediation and conferencing in child protection disputes: special issue of Family Court Review

In 1997, Family Court Review published the first special volume focused on child welfare mediation. At the time it was a relatively new field gaining ground in a number of states and provinces. Since then mediation and other alternatives to traditional and adversarial child welfare proceedings have been emerging and evolving across the United States, Canada, and the world. In this follow-up to the first special volume, the articles trace the history of the development of mediation and family group decision-making programs in the child welfare arena.

Firestone, Gregory. Empowering Parents in Child Protection Mediation: Challenges and Opportunities.

One of the greatest challenges that parents face in child protection mediation (CPM) is to voice their concerns and negotiate on a relatively equal basis with the other mediation participants. This article considers how imbalances of power, limited confidentiality protection, and the personal problems that bring parents into the child protection process can limit a parent’s ability to exercise self-determination in mediation and offers guidance for mediators seeking to conduct CPM in a manner that effectively empowers parents to meaningfully and collaboratively participate in mediation. (Articles Abstract)

McHale, M. Jerry and Robertson, Irene and Clarke, Andrea and Robertson, Irene. Building a Child Protection Mediation Program in British Columbia.

Effective implementation of mediation programs on a large scale is a complex challenge. This article describes the process of design and implementation of a child protection mediation model and highlights the challenges and successes involved in leading fundamental culture shifts within the child welfare system over a period of eleven years. (Author's Abstract)

Martin, Patricia M.. Child Protection Mediation: The Cook County Illinois Experience -- A Judge's Perspective.

The Child Protection Mediation Program in Cook County, Illinois is the result of a collaborative effort on the part of the court, its stakeholders, and the attorneys involved in child protection cases. Child protection mediation empowers families and includes parents in many decisions impacting their children. It also helps judges to move children’s cases through the legal system more rapidly and in a more efficient and humane manner. This results in children achieving more timely permanency. The program is sustained in part due to frequent outreach to, and input from, the program’s consumers. These help to ensure that the program is meeting the diverse needs of the court, the families, and the professionals involved in the cases. (Author's Abstract)

Mayer, Bernie. Reflections on the State of Consensus-Based Decision Making in Child Welfare.

Consensus approaches to child protection decision making such as mediation and family group conferencing have become increasingly widespread since first initiated about 25 years ago. They address but are also constrained by paradoxes in the child protection system about commitments to protecting children and to family autonomy. In a series of surveys, interviews, and dialogues, mediation and conferencing researchers and practitioners discussed the key issues that face their work: clarity about purpose, system support, family empowerment, professional qualifications, and coordination among different types of consensus-building efforts. Consensusbased decision making in child protection will continue to expand and grow but will also continue to confront these challenges. (author's abstract)

Harris, Nathan. Family Group Conferencing in Australia 15 Years On.

This paper provides a comparison of the implementation and use of conferencing in Australian States and Territories, and discusses the implementation of conferencing relative to the original conferencing model developed by New Zealand. While Australian States may not systematically empower families in the same way as New Zealand, this does not mean that the conferencing programs in Australia are not of considerable value. Conferences that are conducted offer families an important chance for reflection, empower families to develop their own plans to various degrees, and have many other benefits. A number of Australian jurisdictions have developed strong conferencing programs in which there is considerable expertise in facilitation. Family group conferences were first legislated for in New Zealand in 1989 and today family group conferences represent a significant innovation in child protection practice. Their success in engaging families and communities in problem-solving seems to be unique. Child protection systems in Australia, as in many other countries, have subsequently introduced conferencing programs. The first trial in family group conferencing was initiated in Victoria in 1992. This paper is based on a report that was prepared for the Australian Center for Child Protection. A workshop sponsored by the Center in 2005 brought together conferencing practitioners from a number of States and Territories to discuss the current use of conferencing in Australia. What emerged was a sense that little information was available about those programs and a fear that the early progress made had stalled. In response, the Australian Center for Child Protection decided to conduct a study that mapped the adoption of conferencing in child protection systems across Australia. This paper provides a synopsis of the project report.(Abstract courtesy of the National Criminal Justice Reference Service, www.ncjrs.gov).

Yancey, Briana and Dawson, Angel. Youth Participants Speak About Their Family Group Conference Experience.

Youth contribution and participation can be central to a successful FGC. Studies, such as one in Calgary (Sieppert & Yvonne, 2003), emphasize that children should not be overlooked as capable of offering knowledge, leadership, or power. Unfortunately, though, they are overlooked all too often. Studies of youth participation in FGCs have revealed the importance of additional steps that should be taken into consideration by facilitators (Heino, 2003). Involving youth in their FGC requires focused attention, from pre-planning to follow-up, to ensure that the strengths, assets, and perspectives of the youth are integrated. This article shares youth comments, based on their experience as conference participants, and offers recommendations for facilitators to maximize youth participation. (excerpt)

Tinworth, Kathleen and Merkel-Holguin, Lisa. Reviewing a Swedish Outcome Study on Family Group Conferences.

The conclusions of this Swedish study appear inconsistent with the majority of international research and evaluation on family group decision making (FGDM) and, therefore, it has generated significant discussion. The purpose of this Issue Brief is to summarize the Swedish study, present a wider understanding of it and its place within FGC policy and practice, and place its conclusions within the context of instituting FGC in national and international child welfare systems. The study’s findings, an analysis, and questions follow. (excerpt)

Pennell, Joan. Restorative Practices and Child Welfare: Toward an Inclusive Civil Society.

Child welfare systems in the United States are failing to include families in making plans, and this reduces their success in stabilizing children’s placements and promoting children’s well-being. A North Carolina study demonstrates how one restorative practice—family group conferencing (FGC)—advances family participation in child welfare planning. A sample of 27 conferences showed that the 221 family group members outnumbered the 115 service providers at the meetings. Family group members were usually satisfied with the conference process and decision and saw the plans as primarily reached through consensus, following a trusted leader, and bargaining. Satisfaction with the decision was reduced when bargaining was employed. Manipulation was more likely to occur when conference preparations were inadequate.(author's abstract)

Marsh, Peter and Crow, Gill. Family Partners

In this paper, Peter Marsh and Gill Crow report on a study that provided a detailed examination of eighty family group conferences (FGC) in England and Wales. These FGCs were carried out in four social services departments in 1995 and 1996. This document covers the FGC model for decision-making in child welfare cases, the conference process, outcomes of the eighty conferences studied, and participants’ views on the use of the FGC model. Marsh and Crow also point toward next steps to be taken to expand and improve the practice of FGCs in child welfare cases and other areas of welfare work.

LeCroy and Milligan Associates, Inc.. Family Group Decision Making Annual Evaluation Report

Family group decision making is a model and strategy for dealing with youth in trouble and their families. First developed in New Zealand in 1989 as part of child welfare reform, it concentrates on family strengths and capacity for change rather than on problems and deficits. This particular Family Group Decision Making Program, oriented primarily toward child welfare purposes rather than juvenile justice per se, is a relatively new effort by the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). The aim of the program is to encourage and prepare families to develop and implement their own placement plans to ensure child safety. The first phase of the evaluation focused on the implementation of the program. The evaluation began in February 2001 and covered through August 2001. This report details the program’s background, the evaluation purpose and design, a review of the relevant literature, program implementation, future evaluation plans, and conclusions and recommendations. Materials at the end of the report provide valuable materials on the tools used in the research.

LeCroy and Milligan Associates, Inc.. Family Group Decision Making. Year 2 Annual Evaluation Report.

This is the second evaluation report on the Family Group Decision Making Program in Arizona. Family group decision making is a model and strategy for dealing with youth in trouble and their families. First developed in New Zealand in 1989 as part of child welfare reform, it concentrates on family strengths and capacity for change rather than on problems and deficits. This particular Family Group Decision Making Program, oriented primarily toward child welfare purposes rather than juvenile justice per se, is a relatively new effort by the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES). The aim of the program is to encourage and prepare families to develop and implement their own placement plans to ensure child safety. This second phase of the evaluation – covering the period from August 2001 through August 2002 – focuses on the implementation of the program throughout the state of Arizona. The evaluation report details the program’s background, the evaluation purpose and design, evaluation of the implementation of the program, evaluation of the program’s outcomes, and conclusions and recommendations. A number of appendices provide valuable materials and statistics on the program itself, and tools used in the research.

Rasmussen, Bo Morhorst. A Decision Making Model"Plus"-- The Study of the Danish Experiment with Family Group Conferencing

In this article, Bo Morthorst Rasmussen reviews the main conclusions from a study of the Danish experiment with family group conferencing (FGC) during 2000 and 2001. The Danish experiment was based on the New Zealand model of family group conferencing. In this model, FGC is primarily a decision making structure involving the family and the social welfare agency in devising a plan of action to benefit a child or youth at risk. Rasmussen presents statistics on the extent of conferencing in Denmark during the two year trial period; the methodology of the evaluation; information on outcomes and levels of satisfaction among participants; components and process in the Danish use of FGCs; and comparison of key statistics with respect to the use of FGCs in Denmark, Sweden, and England.

Pennell, Joan and Burford, Gale. Partnership-Building Evaluation in Newfoundland/Labrador and North Carolina.

According to the authors of this paper, family group decision making (FGDM) seeks to resolve family violence by building partnerships within and around families to deal constructively with shared concerns. Partners include family members, community organizations, and public agencies. In turn, FGDM evaluation should serve three purposes: assessment of the extent to which partnerships were formed; assessment of the effectiveness of the partnerships in resolving the concerns; and promotion of constructive partnerships. With all of this in mind, the authors describe the development of evaluation approaches for the FGDM projects in Newfoundland/Labrador (Canada) and in North Carolina (USA). They then build on these experiences to set forth strategies for achieving the three purposes of partnership-building evaluation.

Spak, Simone. Pilot Project for F.G.C. for Child Protection in Israel

In April 2001 the Service for Children and Youth in the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of Israel together with Ashalim, (The Association for Planning & Development of Services for Children and Youth at Risk & their Families) decided to launch an extensive pilot project of F.G.C. for child protection. Two previous attempts at implementing F.G.C. for child protection met with difficulties and failed. The current project invested in creating interest and trust in the F.G.C. approach as a suitable alternative method of dealing with child abuse and neglect. Eighteen municipalities all over the country were chosen to participate: cities and rural settlements in the center and the south of the country, small Arab towns in the north, and Bedouin settlements in the Negev desert. The unique aspect of this presentation lies in the application of F.G.C. in such a diversity of cultures and communities. This presentation focuses on the value of F.G.C. as a universal approach applicable in a wide range of family and cultural contexts.

Marsh, P and Crow, G. Family Group Conferences in Child Welfare Services in England and Wales

In England and Wales, the principles of the Children Act 1989 and the research underpinning this Act provide the backdrop for family group conferences. An organized program of training has been coordinated and supported since 1992 by the Family Rights Group, with research support from the University of Sheffield. This chapter describes this backdrop to the program, outlines some of the key areas now being examined, and provides a brief description of the current state of development of family group conferences in England.

Immarigeon, Russ. Family Group Conferences in Canada and the United States: An Overview

This paper suggests possible uses of New Zealand style family group conferences in Canada and the United States. Applications are considered in British Columbia with aboriginal empowerment efforts. The interest in Kellogg and McConnell Clark foundations and the American Bar Association in preservation of families programs are considered. Recent child care and protection programs in Kansas, Michigan, Vermont, Maine, New York are discussed. The author concludes that practitioners and policy-makers have not yet examined or explored the full implications of the range of changes possible through family group conferences, especially the role of professionals.

Hassall, I and Maxwell, Gabrielle and Robertson, J. and Maxwell, Gabrielle. A Briefing Paper: An Appraisal of the First Year of the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act 1989

Three papers describe changes brought about by the New Zealand Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act 1989. The first paper examines the Family Group Conference as an innovative method of involving families in statutory care and protection and youth justice processes. The second paper presents statistical data for 1990 on the disposition of children and youth who came to attention, under either the care and protection or youth justice provisions of the Act. The third article finds that the number of arrests, court appearances, convictions and court orders sharply decreased following passage of the act.