Family Group Decision Making

Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) recognizes the importance of involving family groups in decision making about children who need protection or care, and it can be initiated by child welfare agencies whenever a critical decision about a child is required. In FGDM processes, a trained coordinator who is independent of the case brings together the family group and the agency personnel to create and carry out a plan to safeguard children and other family members. FGDM processes position the family group to lead decision making, and the statutory authorities agree to support family group plans that adequately address agency concerns. The statutory authorities also organize service providers from governmental and non-governmental agencies to access resources for implementing the plans. FGDM processes are not conflict-resolution approaches, therapeutic interventions or forums for ratifying professionally crafted decisions. Rather, FGDM processes actively seek the collaboration and leadership of family groups in crafting and implementing plans that support the safety, permanency and well-being of their children.

Protecting Children, Vol. 23, No. 4

Family Group Conferencing Policy and Practice in Canada: Our Evolving Experience

In Canada, family group conferencing has taken root in many locations and in several variations over the past 15 years. Recently, in a number of Canadian jurisdictions, child welfare legislation has been drafted or amended to include provisions directly related to family group conferencing. Numerous issues, not uniquely Canadian, have received emphasis and discussion at the American Humane Family Group Decision Making annual conferences. This volume of Protecting Children seeks to capture some of the richness of those discussions as family group conferencing continues to develop “north of the border.”

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New Report

Families Gaining Their Seat at the Table

American Humane is pleased to announce the release of a new paper that reviews family engagement strategies documented in the Child and Family Services Reviews (CFSRs) and state Program Improvement Plans (PIPs). American Humane commissioned Sara Munson and Madelyn Freundlich to write this report, which highlights various types of family meetings that states are pursuing to improve family and child involvement in case planning.

Access the report. (PDF)

Michael Doolan joins FGDM team

American Humane is pleased to announce that Michael Doolan, from Christchurch, New Zealand, will be joining our family group decision making (FGDM) team for the month of June 2008. Mike is the former chief social worker for the New Zealand Department of Child, Youth and Family, and is a renowned expert in family group conferencing (FGC), kinship care, and child homicide and child death reviews. Mike will infuse additional policy and practice expertise into U.S. and Canadian communities by working to implement and sustain FGDM processes in child welfare and youth justice systems. He also will be authoring a number of papers on behalf of American Humane and providing training and technical assistance to communities.

Learn more. (PDF)

FGDM Teleconference Series

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 Teleconference Series in August 2007. The teleconferences are scheduled to occur monthly throughout the year. American Humane’s FGDM team identifies topics for the Teleconference Series based on training and conference evaluations and informal dialogues with our FGDM colleagues.

This series is designed to: promote thought-provoking, stimulating dialogue that helps community leaders advance the practice, policy, and implementation of FGDM; create a culture of support and learning for FGDM 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 network.

Download more about the teleconference series, including topics and scheduling.