An Overview of Family Group
Decision Making
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Terminology
Family Group Conference or FGC (New Zealand, 1989)
Family Unity Meeting Model or FUM (Oregon, 1990)
Family Group Decision Making or FGDM (Canada, 1994)
Family Conferences
(Santa Clara County, CA, 1995)
 Family Decision Meetings or FDMs
(Stanislaus County, CA)
 Family Team Decisionmaking
or Team Decisionmaking
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History in the Making
Family Group Conference (New Zealand, 1989)
Disproportionate number of minorities in outof-home care
Length of time children spend in out-of-home
care
Multiple placements
Minimization of governmental interventions
Family Unity Meeting Model (Oregon, 1990)
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Philosophies
 Families want, and have the right, to protect their
children.
Responsibility and commitment
 Families make good decisions.
Expertise, wisdom, and power
 Professionals can ensure that decisions protect
children.
Check and balance system/veto power
 Community agencies can support family decisions.
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Benefits
 Strengthens Families
Harnesses family responsibility
Counters isolation
 Strengthens Decisions
More informed plans
Increases family’s sense of control and buy-in
 Strengthens Systems
Community ownership of child protection and
safety
Mobilizes natural and community resources
Decreases professional burden and
responsibility
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Key Elements to a
Strengthsbased Approach
Respects the significance of “family” to human
beings.
Assumes an inner competence and logic in
everyone’s behavior.
Embraces an underlying faith that all families
have strengths.
Assumes that focusing on strengths will activate
them as resources for problem solving.
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Key Elements to a
Strengthsbased Approach
Highlights those qualities within the family and
helping system that promote health, cohesion,
and growth.
Acknowledges that the family’s own constructive
solutions to problems are the ones that are the
most effective and lasting.
Is both an attitude or value and a way of
working.
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Strengths of the FGC
Process in Creating
Solutions
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Assets—acknowledgement of strengths,
resources and potential.
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Resilience—perseverance in using
unique FGC opportunity to create
solutions to identified concerns.
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Strengths of the FGC Process
in Creating Solutions
Partnership—family and non-family
meeting together to share information
and demonstrate caring about a child.
Mutuality—creating an atmosphere to
communicate openly and respectfully
about concerns.
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Strengths of the FGC Process
in Creating Solutions
Optimization—goal is for family to take
information about concern and
generate solutions based on their
strengths and capacities to create a
well defined and achievable plan.
Hope—recognizing individual and
family strengths that foster a sense of
hope about what is possible and then
embracing responsibility for helping the
possible become the reality.
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Purpose of FGDM
To establish a process for
families to join with relatives and
friends to develop a plan to
ensure that children are cared
for and protected from future
harm.
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The Players
Family Members: Nuclear and extended
family members.
Children: Guidelines – age appropriate and
support person.
Support Persons: Preselected persons to
provide emotional support for children
under 16 years, for adults who have been
victims of abuse or are at-risk, and for
offenders.
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The Players
Resource/Information Providers: Persons
with information and/or resources
(professionals and community agency
representatives.)
Friends: Non-biological family or “fictive
kin”.
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The Players
Coordinator: Sets up the meeting, may
serve as a facilitator.
Referring Social Worker: Presents case
information to the family during the
Information Stage and helps the family
resource their plan in the Decision Stage.
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FGDM Process
Four Main Phases
1. Referral to hold
the conference
2. Preparation and
planning activities
3. Conference
4. Post-conference
events and
planning
FGC Stages
1. Introductions
2. Information
sharing
3. Private family time
4. Plan presentation,
consideration, and
acceptance
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Phase 1.
Referral
When in the life of the case?
Application of screening criteria? (e.g., type
of case, family issues)
Timeliness between referral and conference?
Role of the Coordinator/Public Agency
worker?
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One Distinctive Element of
FGC is Preparation
Demonstrates to families the service
provider’s commitment to a process that
strengthens families and refocuses the
primary responsibility for children back on
the family where it belongs (Merkel-Holguin
& Ribich, 2001).
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Preparation Requires a
Time Commitment
Research demonstrates that both the
coordinator’s ability AND the quality of
preparation and planning correlate with the
overall success of the conference (Maxwell
& Morris, 1993; Paterson & Harvey, 1991).
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Preparation Requires a
Time Commitment
Although the amount of time it takes to
adequately prepare families for an FGC
varies, available data indicate that an
average of 2235 hours per FGC is necessary
to undertake the comprehensive activities in
this phase (Burford & Pennell, 1995; Crow &
Marsh, 1999).
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Why is Thorough
Preparation Important?
Shows a commitment to FGC
philosophy and process.
Demonstrates a commitment to a
broader network of family.
Helps families recognize their own
strengths and importance in the life
of a child.
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Why is Thorough
Preparation Important?

Invites families to be responsible for a child
they love.
 Helps families create safety in a new
partnership with social service systems.
 Acknowledges the richness and diversity of a
family culture.
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Why is Thorough
Preparation Important?
Mobilizes family strengths, wisdom, history,
commitment, resources, and expertise to
support a safe and effective family group
conference.
Mobilizes the strengths of others and gains their
“buy-in” into the FGDM process.
Empowers workers and others in a more
participatory process to see the strengths and
capacities of families.
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Phase 2.
Key Elements of Preparation
Informed Consent
Confidentiality
Neutrality
Explain Purpose, Process and Roles
Understand Family Culture
Achieve “Buy-In”
Create a Climate of Safety
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Other Important
Preparation Activities
Immediate safety of the child
Working with family to define “family”
Inviting participants
Involving offenders and children
Soliciting the views of those not attending
Coordinating logistics/hosting
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Phase 3.
The Actual FGC
 Introductions
 Family culture/traditions
 Information Sharing
Various ways to facilitate this
stage
No professional
recommendations
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Phase 3.
The Actual FGC
 Private Family Deliberation
Consensus if non-family members
stay
Allotment of time
 Plan Presentation, Consideration,
Acceptance (Also Called Decision)
Professional presence
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Phase 4.
Planning and Decision
The Plan
Family presents plan to the Coordinator and
Referring Social Worker and other resource
providers
Back-up plan
Review, flesh out, detail and resource the plan
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Phase 4.
Planning and Decision
If referring worker cannot agree
with the plan for safety reasons, ask
family if they would like further
“private family time”
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Create Monitoring
Function
Plan Acceptance
Conclude
Conference
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Post-Conference Events
Plan Recording and Distribution
Implementation and Monitoring
Evaluation
Follow-up Meetings
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Reflections
Group Decision Making
Methods
Autocratic or Directive Style of Decision Making
Autocratic With Group Information Input
Autocratic With Group’s Review and Feedback
Individual Consultative Style
Group Consultative Style
Group Decision Style
Participative Style
Leaderless Team
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