A new Early Help Family Group Conference (EH FGC) service is now being offered to families where there are developing issues or concerns. The service is at the heart of Sutton’s restorative approach and forms part of Sutton’s early help offer.
An EH FGC is a voluntary process led by family members, and is an opportunity for the wider family network to come together, talk about the issues or concerns, identify solutions and create a family plan to resolve them. The process is designed to be respectful and empowering, focusing on the families’ own skills, strengths and detailed family knowledge to resolve difficulties. The family, including the children, family friends and other close relatives, work together facilitated by an Early Help FGC Coordinator to address the identified issues in a safe, supported environment where the family members are the decision-makers rather than the professionals.
The challenge
Sutton where keen to help families resolve their own issues earlier and more independently, intervening early enough before families require social care interventions. They recognised that families were entering the social care system when what was needed was help for them to recognise and address their own historic issues, for example; previous family conflict or relationship breakdown, behavioural issues and substance misuse.
The solution
Offering the service as an early intervention enables families to make effective plans to tackle the problems before they escalate and more serious social care interventions are required.
EH FGC’s are be offered to every eligible family referred to the Single Point of Access (MASH) where it is safe and appropriate to do so, as well as being offered to families already involved within social care to prevent further escalation or to step cases down.
EH FGC Co-ordinators facilitate a group conference with the family and wider network to get everyone to talk through the issues, generate solutions and come together to create their own family plan.
The impact
It is projected that the costs of this new service - once mainstreamed - will pay for itself within 3 to 4 months.
Families feel empowered and it enhances their ability to manage problems on their own without requiring any further social care intervention.
How is the new approach being sustained?
There is a robust approach for performance within the team ensuring that best practice is upheld. All families are offered a review at six weeks post conference, this could be a phone review or another physical meeting to make any required changes to the existing family plan. A contingency is included in the family plan with regards to what to do if elements of the plan are not working.
Lessons learned
EH FGC’s both improves lives and save costs as working restoratively alongside the family promotes empowerment. It has been found the family are more productive, cooperative and are more likely to make positive choices when people in positions of authority do things with them, rather than to them or for them. Early Help Family Group Conferences reduce escalation, as they promote the idea of collaborative decision-making, partnership, personal agency and active participation to empower and enable families to create an achievable family plan that addresses their needs.
Bright Futures
Helping children and young people to fulfil their potential is a key ambition of all councils, but our children’s services are under increasing pressure.
Bright Futures is our call for fully funded children's services.