FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCING
Invitation to Child or Young Person
(At the discretion of the facilitator, this letter is to be written using the CFS Support Unit address. This is to protect facilitators from any potential risk arising from personal contact details being disclosed to family members. It is a requirement under Section 32 (4)(c) and Section 32 (6) that the facilitator must ‘issue a notice specifying the time and place of the family group conference’ and ‘invite’ participants to the family group conference’. This letter constitutes both the notice and the invitation. It is intended only to act as a guide for the facilitator and clearly needs to be adapted for different circumstances and for different audiences.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Child and Family Services Support Unit Family Group Conferencing Program PO Box 125
Hobart TAS 7000
Name and address of child/young person
Dear ,
As you already know, a family group conference is going to be held soon to help you and your family make plans for your future. This letter is just to let you know when and where the meeting will take place. I know that you are/are not going to be at the meeting yourself but I wanted you to know as much about it as possible so that you can have a say, either through me or through your advocate, .
I will be running the family group conference. It will be held:
Where: When: Time:
What the Conference is about and how it works
Although we have talked about the purpose of the family group conference and how the meeting will be run, I would just like to be sure that you fully understand what it is about and what is likely to happen both during the meeting and afterwards.
A Family Group Conference is called by Child Protection Services to bring family members and others in the community together to make plans for children or young people when there have been problems in the family. Children and young people have a right to a safe and caring place in which to grow up and their connection with their families is also very important.
The family group conference is a time when family members, child protection workers and other community support workers come together to share ideas on what might be in your best interests. The family group conference brings everyone who cares about you together and gives everyone a real say in making decisions about the future. It is important that you know who else might come to the family group conference and the ‘invitation list’ is as follows: eg
• mother
• father
• aunty
• Child Protection Representatives
• Community agency rep
• Advocate
• Friend
• Etc
There are other people who cannot attend the meeting in person, but they will be included through letters they would like to be read out by me/videoconference link up/teleconference for part of the meeting etc.
The Family Group Conference will have three parts. Part One - Information Sharing
During Part One everyone goes into one room and introduces themselves. The purpose of the meeting is explained and child protection workers and any other support agencies who are there give you information about their concerns, their ideas and the support they can offer. If you have an advocate there, they will speak for you or help you to say what you want to say.
During this information sharing time the Child Protection Workers will say what they consider you need to be safe and well cared for. This will help you and your family develop your plan. You can ask questions so that you understand what anyone else has said. All that has been discussed will be summed up so that no-one is confused and that everyone is clear about what is being asked of the family in the next stage of the meeting.
Part Two - The family meeting
During Part Two all the people who are not part of the family (or close friends) will leave the room. If you want to stay during this part of the meeting, you can have your advocate with you.
Having some time without Child Protection Services and other workers there, allows you as a family to use the information from Part One of the Conference to discuss and decide on a plan for your future care and support.
If you do not want to stay during that part of the meeting, or need help during it, I can come back in for a time. However I will try to leave your family in peace to talk in private and reach a decision. You can take as much time as you like.
It will be important to have made suggestions about how people within and outside the family can support the plan, and what might happen if something goes wrong. When you are ready the non family members who left the meeting will be brought back into the room to hear your plan. It is a good idea to decide which person will tell the meeting what you have decided. It is also important that all of you agree on the plan.
Part Three - Sharing the family decision
This is when the family’s plan is presented to Child Protection Services. It is important that the plan includes ideas about who will be responsible for seeing that it is carried out and it will be made clear that everyone understands what has been agreed before the Conference is finished. It may be that everyone agrees with the plan or it may need to be discussed by managers at Child Protection Services for approval. If the plan is not approved, Child Protection Services may suggest that we meet again to discuss some aspects of the plan.
Once approved, your plan will be recorded and become an official document. It may need to be presented to the Court if an application or alteration to a legal order is part of the family decision. The Court does not need to know all the details about what happened at the Conference as this remains private but the Magistrate needs to know who was there and what decisions were made. After the Family Group Conference everyone who was present and who are part of the plan will be sent a brief report about the conference.
Many children, young people and families who have been part of them have found them helpful and much less scary and formal than going to court.
If you would like to know more before the conference please feel free to contact me.
I will do all that I can to help you, your family and all those who care about you make a good plan for your future.
With best wishes
Facilitator Date:
FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCING
Invitation to Family Members
(At the discretion of the facilitator, this letter is to be written using the CFS Support address. This is to protect facilitators from any potential risk arising from personal contact details being disclosed to family members. It is a requirement under Section 32 (4)(c) and Section 32 (6) that the facilitator must ‘issue a notice specifying the time and place of the family group conference’ and ‘invite’ participants to the family group conference’. This letter constitutes both the notice and the invitation. It is intended only to act as a guide for the facilitator and clearly needs to be adapted for different circumstances and for different audiences.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Child and Family Services Support Unit Family Group Conferencing Program GPO Box 125
Hobart TAS 7000
Name and address of family member
Dear ,
As discussed in our recent conversation, I have been appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services as an independent facilitator to convene a Family Group Conference in relation to (name of child/children). I would like to invite you to attend the Family Group Conference to be held
Where: When: Time:
A time of four hours has been set aside for the family group conference but such meetings may only take a couple of hours. It is also possible that it may take longer, or we may need to re-convene at a later date. There will be plenty of time for breaks during the meeting.
I would like to give you some more information about the family group conference, to make sure everyone understands what the meeting is for and what is likely to happen.
What the Conference is about and how it works
Although we have talked about the purpose of the family group conference and how the meeting will be run, I would just like to be sure that you fully understand what it is about and what is likely to happen both during the meeting and afterwards.
A Family Group Conference is called by Child Protection Services to bring family members and others in the community together to make plans for children or young people which will provide them with support and a secure and safe environment in which to grow up.
The best place for children to grow up is usually with their own family and within their own community so long as they are loved, safe and well cared for. As there have been concerns about whether you (child’s name) have/has been at risk in the past, the family group conference is a time when family members, workers from Child Protection Services and other community support workers come together to share ideas on what might be in his/her/your best interests. The family group conference brings everyone who cares about you/him/her together and gives everyone a real say in making decisions about the future. It is important that you know who else might come to the family group conference and the ‘invitation list’ is as follows: eg
• mother
• father
• aunty
• Child Protection Representatives
• Community agency rep
• Advocate
• Friend
• Etc
There are other people who cannot attend the meeting in person, but they will be included through letters they would like to be read out by me/videoconference link up/teleconference for part of the meeting etc.
The Family Group Conference will have three parts. Part One - Information Sharing
During Part One everyone goes into one room and introduces themselves. The purpose of the meeting is explained and workers from Child Protection Services and any other support agencies who are there give you information about their concerns, their ideas and the support they can offer. If there is an advocate there for the child or young person, they will speak on their behalf. During this information sharing time the child protection workers will present the ‘safety statement’ from the Tasmanian Risk Framework (TRF) which will guide decision making about the future care, protection and safety of (child/young person).
You can ask questions so that you understand what anyone else has said. All that has been discussed will be summed up so that no-one is confused and that everyone in the family is clear about what is being asked of the family in the next stage of the meeting.
Based on assessments of concerns about the care, protection and safety of (child’s name), more recent discussions with family members, and possible solutions that have come to light during the preparation for this family group conference, Child Protection Services has prepared the following ‘safety statement to be included as part of the development of a family plan. (Please insert below the safety statement directly from the TRF)
Part Two - The family meeting
During Part Two all the people who are not part of the family (or close friends) will leave the room. This leaves you free as a family to use the information from part One of the Conference to discuss and decide on your plan for how you can support each other and use community and Child Protection Services supports to care for………
If you need any help during this part of the family group conference, I can come back in for a time but will leave you in peace to talk in private and reach a decision as a family in your own time. You can take as much time as you like.
It will be important to have made suggestions about how people within and outside the family can support your plan, and what might happen if something goes wrong. When you are ready the non family members who left the meeting will be brought back into the room to hear your plan. It is a good idea to decide which person will tell the meeting what you have decided. It is also important that all of you agree on the plan.
Part Three - Sharing the family decision
This is when the family’s plan for the future care, protection and safety of ……..is presented to Child Protection Services. It is important that the plan includes ideas about who will be responsible for seeing that it is carried out and it will be made clear that everyone understands what has been agreed before the Conference is finished.
It may be that everyone agrees with your plan and then it can be presented to the Manager at Child Protection Services for approval. If the plan is not approved, Child Protection Services may suggest that we meet again to discuss some aspects of the plan.
Once approved, your plan will be recorded and become an official document. It may need to be presented to the Court if an application or alteration to a legal order is part of the family decision. The Court does not need to know what happened at the Conference as this remains confidential but it does need to know who was there and what decisions were made. Details of what is said at the Family Group Conference will not be used in Court. Only a record of the agreements or decisions of the conference will be given to the Court.
After the Family Group Conference everyone who was present (and family members who could not be present) will be sent a brief report about the Conference with a copy of the agreements and the decisions made at the meeting.
Many families who have been through Family Group Conferences have found them helpful. If you would like to know more before the Conference please feel free to contact me on PH: ………
I appreciate your willingness to take part in this family group conference and look forward to seeing you on ………..
Yours sincerely
Facilitator Date:
FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCING
Invitation to Community Members
(At the discretion of the facilitator, this letter is to be written using the CFS Support Unit address. This is to protect facilitators from any potential risk arising from personal contact details being disclosed to family members. It is a requirement under Section 32 (4)(c) and Section 32 (6) that the facilitator must ‘issue a notice specifying the time and place of the family group conference’ and ‘invite’ participants to the family group conference’. This letter constitutes both the notice and the invitation. It is intended only to act as a guide for the facilitator and clearly needs to be adapted for different circumstances and for different audiences.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Child and Family Services Support Unit Family Group Conferencing Program GPO Box 125
Hobart TAS 7000
Name and address of advocate/legal representative/support person/service representative/other
Dear ,
As discussed in our recent conversation, I have been appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services as an independent facilitator to convene a Family Group Conference in relation to (name of child/children). I would like to invite you to attend the Family Group Conference to be held
Where: When: Time:
A time of four hours has been set aside for the family group conference but such meetings may only take a couple of hours. It is also possible that it may take longer, or we may need to re-convene at a later date. There will be plenty of time for breaks during the meeting.
I would like to give you some more information about the family group conference, to make sure everyone understands what the meeting is for and what is likely to happen.
What the Conference is about and how it works
Although we have talked about the purpose of the family group conference and how the meeting will be run, I would just like to be sure that you fully understand what it is about and what is likely to happen both during the meeting and afterwards.
A Family Group Conference is called by Child Protection Services to bring family members and others in the community together to make plans for children or young people which will provide them with support and a secure and safe environment in which to grow up.
The best place for children to grow up is usually with their own family and within their own community so long as they are loved, safe and well cared for. As there have been concerns about whether (child’s name) have/has been at risk in the past, the family group conference is a time when family members, child protection workers, advocates and other members of the community who can offer support come together to share ideas on what might be in his/her interests.
The family group conference brings everyone who cares about him/her together and gives everyone a real say in making decisions about the future. It is important that you know who else might come to the family group conference and the ‘invitation list’ is as follows: eg
• mother
• father
• aunty
• Child Protection representatives
• Community agency rep
• Advocate
• Friend
• Etc
There are other people who cannot attend the meeting in person, but they will be included through letters they would like to be read out by me/videoconference link up/teleconference for part of the meeting etc.
The Family Group Conference will have three parts. Part One - Information Sharing
During Part One everyone goes into one room and introduces themselves. The purpose of the meeting is explained and workers from Child Protection Services and any other support agencies who are there give the family information about their concerns, their ideas and the support they can offer. You may well have a significant contribution to make during this part of the meeting. During this information sharing time Child Protection Workers will present what they consider to be ‘safety statement’ from the Tasmanian Risk Framework (TRF) to guide decision making about the future care, protection and safety of (child/young person).
You can ask questions so that you understand what anyone else has said. All that has been discussed will be summed up so that no-one is confused and that everyone in the family is clear about what is being asked of them in the next stage of the meeting.
(It may or may not be relevant for the community members to be made aware of the ‘safety statement’ for care of the child – if they are attending in order to assist the family develop a support plan and meet the ‘safety statement’, it probably is in most cases.)
Based on assessments of concerns about the care, protection and safety of (child’s name), more recent discussions with family members, and possible solutions that have come to light during the preparation for this family group conference, Child Protection Services has prepared the following ‘safety statement’ to be included as part of the development of a family plan. (Please insert below the safety statement directly from the TRF).
Part Two - The family meeting
During Part Two all the people who are not part of the family (or close friends) will leave the room. This leaves the family free to use the information from part One of the Conference to discuss and decide on their plan for how they can support each other and use community and CFS supports to care for………
If they need any help during this part of the family group conference, I will go back in for a time but will leave the family in peace to talk in private and reach a decision in their own time. If your role has bee primarily to provide information to assist the family, and you are not acting as the child’s advocate and are unlikely to be involved in the final decision-making, you may leave the family group conference at this stage. If any of the agreed outcomes involve your assistance or resources from your service, the plan will not be signed off without further discussion with you. In order for the family to make full use of the time they have, it is important that any options and ideas about how people and services outside the family can support a possible plan, have been discussed with those involved, preferably prior to the conference. The plan should also identify who will monitor the plan and what might happen if something goes wrong.
Part Three - Sharing the family decision
This is when the family’s plan for the future care, protection and safety of ……..is presented to CFS workers. It is important that the plan includes ideas about who will be responsible for seeing that it is carried out and it will be made clear that everyone understands what has been agreed before the Conference is finished.
It may be that everyone agrees with the plan it will then be presented to the Service Centre Manager at CFS for approval. If the plan is not approved, CFS may suggest that the meeting is reconvened to discuss some aspects of the plan.
Once approved, the plan will be recorded and become an official document. It may need to be presented to the Court if an application or alteration to a legal order is part of the family decision. The Court does not need to know what happened at the Conference as this remains confidential but it does need to know who was there and what decisions were made. Details of what is said at the Family Group Conference will not be used in Court. Only a record of the agreements or decisions of the conference will be given to the Court.
After the Family Group Conference everyone who was present and who is involved in the implementation of the plan will be sent a brief report about the Conference with a copy of the agreements and the decisions made at the meeting.
Many children, young people, families and community participants who have been through Family Group Conferences have found them helpful. If you would like to know more before the Conference please feel free to contact me on PH: ………
I appreciate your willingness to contribute to this family group conference and look forward to seeing you on ………..
Yours sincerely
Facilitator Date:
FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCING
Invitation to DHHS staff
(This letter is to be written by the facilitator to members of the Department as key participants in the family group conference. It is a requirement under Section 32 (4)(c) and Section 32 (6) that the facilitator must ‘issue a notice specifying the time and place of the family group conference’ and ‘invite’ participants to the family group conference, including Department staff. This letter constitutes both the notice and the invitation. It is intended only to act as a guide for the facilitator and clearly needs to be adapted for different circumstances.)
Names and address of Child Protection Worker and Senior Worker
Dear ,
This letter is confirmation of your invitation to the family group conference which I have organised for (name of child/young person). The Family Group Conference to be held:
Where: When: Time:
I have sent invitations to the following family and community members:
• • • • • • etc
I attach copies of those letters for inclusion on (child/young person’s) file.
Thank you very much for your assistance during the preparation phase of this family group conference. I am looking forward to the meeting and hope that the collaborative process will bring out the best solution for (child/young person).
Yours sincerely,
Facilitator Date:
FAMILY GROUP CONFERENCING
Information for key non participants
(At the discretion of the facilitator, this letter is to be written using the CFS Support Unit address. This is to protect them from any potential risk arising from personal contact details being
disclosed to family members or others excluded from attendance or otherwise unable to attend. Although there is no requirement under the Act for the facilitator to provide information in this manner, there may be circumstances where it would be in the best interests of the child or young person for this information to be formally provided. The text of this letter is intended only to act as a guide for the facilitator and clearly needs to be adapted for different circumstances and for different audiences.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Child and Family Services Support Unit Family Group Conferencing Program GPO Box 125
Hobart TAS 7000
Name and address of key non participant (eg an individual excluded through a restraint order)
Dear ,
As discussed in our recent conversation, I have been appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services as an independent facilitator to convene a Family Group Conference in relation to (name of child/children). This family group conference will be taking place in the near future. Although you are unable to attend as a result of (include the reasons why, if appropriate), I would like to give you some more information about the family group conference, to make sure that everyone connected with (child/young person) understands what the meeting is for and what is likely to happen. I would also like to give you the opportunity of contributing constructively to the meeting through me, as the facilitator.
What the Conference is about and how it works
A Family Group Conference is called by Child Protection Services to bring family members and others in the community together to make plans for children or young people which will provide them with support and a secure and safe environment in which to grow up.
The best place for children to grow up is usually with their own family and within their own community so long as they are loved, safe and well cared for. As there have been concerns about whether (child’s name) has been at risk in the past, the family group conference is a time when family members, Child Protection Workers and other community support workers come together to share ideas on what might be in his/her best interests.
The family group conference brings everyone who cares about you/him/her together and gives everyone a real say in making decisions about the future. It is important that you know who else might be at the family group conference and the ‘invitation list’ is as follows: eg
• mother
• father
• aunty
• Child Protection representatives
• Community agency rep
• Advocate
• Friend
• Etc
You cannot attend the meeting in person, but your contribution to the plan can be made through sending a letter, being linked up through a teleconference or just by talking to me and asking me to give your views and suggestions.
The Family Group Conference will have three parts. Part One - Information Sharing
During Part One everyone goes into one room and introduces themselves. The purpose of the meeting is explained and workers from Child Protection Services and any other support agencies who are there give you information about their concerns, their ideas and the support they can offer. If there is an advocate there for the child or young person, they will speak on their behalf. During this information sharing time, Child Protection Services will present what they consider to be the ‘safety statement’ from the Tasmanian Risk Framework (TRF) to guide decision making about the future care, protection and safety of (child/young person).
People can ask questions so that you understand what anyone else has said. All that has been discussed will be summed up so that no-one is confused and that everyone in the family is clear about what is being asked of the family in the next stage of the meeting.
Based on assessments of concerns about the care, protection and safety of (child’s name), more recent discussions with family members, and possible solutions that have come to light during the preparation for this family group conference, Child Protection Services has prepared the following ‘safety statement’ to be included as part of the development of a family plan: (Please
Part Two - The family meeting
During Part Two, all the people who are not part of the family (or close friends) will leave the room. This leaves the family free to use the information from part One of the Conference to discuss and decide on their plan for how they can support each other and use community and Child Protection Services supports to care for………
If they need any help during this part of the family group conference, I can come back in for a time but will leave them in peace to talk in private and reach a decision as a family in their own time. They can take as much time as they like.
It will be important to have made suggestions about how people within and outside the family can support the plan, and what might happen if something goes wrong. When they are ready the non family members who left the meeting will be brought back into the room to hear the plan. It is important that all of the family members present agree on the plan.
Part Three - Sharing the family decision
This is when the family’s plan for the future care, protection and safety of ……..is presented to Child Protection Workers. It is important that the plan includes ideas about who will be responsible for seeing that it is carried out and it will be made clear that everyone understands what has been agreed before the Conference is finished.
It may be that everyone agrees with the plan and then it can be presented to the Service Centre Manager at Child Protection Services for approval. If the plan is not approved, Child Protection Services may suggest that the group meets again to discuss some aspects of the plan.
Once approved, the plan will be recorded and become an official document. It may need to be presented to the Court if an application or alteration to a legal order is part of the family decision. The Court does not need to know what happened at the Conference as this remains confidential but it does need to know who was there and what decisions were made. Details of what is said at the Family Group Conference will not be used in Court. Only a record of the agreements or decisions of the conference will be given to the Court.
After the Family Group Conference everyone who was present (and family members who could not be present) will be sent a brief report about the Conference with a copy of the agreements and the decisions made at the meeting. You (will/will not) receive a copy of the agreement.
Many families who have been through Family Group Conferences have found them helpful. If you would like to know more before the Conference please feel free to contact me on PH: ………
Yours sincerely
Facilitator
