Conferences & Training

Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) and Restorative Conferencing for Youth Justice (RCYJ) Webinars

Building on the success of the annual Family Group Decision Making Conference and to complement our training institutes, in recognizing that some FGDM coordinators and facilitators are geographically isolated, work independently in their community, or have limited resources to attend skills-based training, American Humane began its FGDM Webinar Series in August 2007. The webinars are scheduled to occur monthly throughout the year. American Humane’s FGDM team identifies topics for the Webinar Series based on training and conference evaluations and informal dialogues with our FGDM colleagues.

This series is designed to promote stimulating dialogue that helps community leaders advance the practice, policy and implementation of FGDM and RCYJ; create a culture of support and learning for FGDM and RCYJ coordinators/facilitators and other service providers; build strategic solutions (based on the experiences of many) to any roadblocks encountered with implementation; and leverage the expertise within the FGDM and RCYJ networks. While much information may be shared and discussed, these webinars are not intended to be trainings.

Register for one or more sessions - 2010. (PDF)

Available Sessions

Solution-Focused Preparation

Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2010, 2 p.m. EST

This webinar workshop will discuss the skill set common to solution-focused practice and make links to use in the preparation and facilitation of family meetings. Engagement with family members and service providers in child welfare and youth justice often takes place in the context of significant concerns and the default can be to gather and share information that is primarily focused on eliciting more detail around those concerns. The skills associated with solution-focused brief therapies lend themselves well to a more holistic questioning approach that allows for movement toward defined goals. Examples of skills that can be applied include scaling questions, exception questions, amplification and versions of “miracle” or visioning questions. The discussion will also focus on conversational ways to set up these kinds of questions to get more and better information for all involved.

Non-Resident Father Engagement and the Child Welfare System — Bringing Back the Dads

Thursday, Feb. 18, 2010, 2 p.m. EST

This webinar will focus on using FGDM to engage absent fathers in the lives of children who are involved in the child welfare system. Past federal child and family service reviews and the federal What About the Dads report indicate that fathers are often less engaged than mothers, and are frequently disconnected from their children. Participants will learn what literature and research have shown regarding how fathers interact with child welfare systems, how father involvement may benefit children’s overall well-being and how engaging fathers through FGDM can better connect them and paternal kin to their system-involved children. Participants will also learn practices that have enhanced the engagement process between child welfare practitioners and non-resident fathers.

Is It Safe? Domestic Violence and FGDM

Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 2 p.m. EDT

When it comes to domestic violence, the idea of having a family group conference with both parties involved may be deemed controversial and unsafe. But by considering the needs and concerns of both parties, in addition to those of all the other conference participants, it becomes possible to safely involve in FGDM processes those who have been harmed and those who have caused the harm. This webinar will explore issues of power in domestic violence; preparing coordinators regarding the creation of safety measures for all participants before, during and after the conference or meeting; considering how to safely involve victims and offenders; and readying community stakeholders to advance FGDM as a way to stop family violence.

Using FGDM to Reduce Disproportionality in Child Welfare

Tuesday, April 20, 2010, 2 p.m. EDT

The overrepresentation of children of color in the child welfare system is a significant and widespread concern and many jurisdictions are searching for solutions to assist in remedying this problem. The use of FGDM provides positive benefits and improved outcomes for the children and families who participate. In this teleconference, the Colorado Disparities Resource Center and the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services will provide knowledge, information and tools for using FGDM as a viable strategy in improving outcomes for children and families of color in the child welfare system.

Addressing the Challenges of Substance Abuse in FGDM

Tuesday, May 18, 2010, 2 p.m. EDT

Coordinating family group conferences when substance abuse is an issue can be a challenging endeavor. There are multiple issues and stakeholders to coordinate and prepare in order to ensure a family-driven process that subscribes to the principles of FGDM. Participants in this teleconference will increase their understanding of substance abuse issues and its impact on FGDM processes, learn strategies to employ in situations where substance abuse hinders success in the FGDM process and increase their awareness of situations that may not support moving forward with FGDM. Participants will also gain knowledge on the development of family plans that support cultural and recovery needs of family members.

Using FGDM to Properly Engage With and Assess Immigrant Children and Families — Special Considerations

Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 2 p.m. EDT

Immigrants are a diverse group that includes foreign-born adults, youth and children who, along with secondgeneration immigrant children, constitute the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. When an immigrant family comes to the attention of the public child welfare system, both the family and the child welfare professionals face unique challenges. It becomes especially complex to untangle the range of factors contributing to both the child’s risk and the family’s capacity to protect and nurture. This session specifically targets professionals who serve immigrant families in the child welfare system. The webinar will equip participants with a roster of existing resources at national and state levels and provide an example of family engagement practice across borders. This session, framed within the complex and publicly debated immigration scene, will keep the focus on workers’ abilities to fully engage with families. A special emphasis will also be placed on the use of FGDM and other family engagement approaches that enable workers to fully engage with a family from the onset of the assessment process.

Dual Jurisdiction Youth and the RGC Process

Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2010, 2 p.m. EDT

Poor and minority youth are disproportionately represented in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Restorative group conferencing (RGC) addresses the issues of dependency, delinquency and disproportionate minority representation through collaboration between systems, victims and community members, and through engaging families. This webinar will showcase the experiences of communities implementing RGC to address the needs of youth, their families, victims and the broader community.

The Intersections Between Family Engagement Approaches and Differential Response

Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2010, 2 p.m. EDT

Differential response provides child protection agencies with multiple ways to respond to child abuse and neglect reports. In the non-investigation or family assessment pathway, the focus is more on safety through engagement and collaboration with families and less on fact finding and substantiating reports. Implementing differential response, including different types of family meetings, as a front-end system reform can open the doors for creative engagement with families. As a way to engage families and share power, several communities are having family meetings to discuss safety, services and supports with the caseworkers with whom they are working. As part of this webinar, we will explore the subjective nature of convening families through different types of family meetings as a way to make decisions and garner supports for families. Representatives from communities implementing differential response and using family meetings will share their experiences.

Facilitation: The Family Group Conference Perspective

Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, 2 p.m. EDT

What is the role of facilitation in the family group conference? What does minimized facilitation look like? Facilitation can be a loaded word for families and service providers who are participating in the family group conferencing process. This session will focus on the concept of facilitation in a family-driven process, and will encourage group discussion regarding the possible ways facilitation can impact and support family group conferences.

Children: The Heartbeat of the Circle

Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2010, 2 p.m. EST

The participation of children of all ages in FGDM meetings is controversial, mostly due to concerns about kids being exposed to the possible contentiousness of their adult family members. Likewise, including children can be complicated and must be orchestrated around their age, abilities, fears and hopes. This session will address why children should be accommodated to join in their family discussion, and how to best accomplish that goal. Participants will be encouraged to share successful strategies for child inclusion in FGDM, and questions and concerns about the participation of children will be addressed.