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Hertfordshire County Council

What is a family group conference?

It's a meeting for a child or young person, their family and their friends. It's a safe space where everyone can come together to talk through concerns that have been raised and work on a plan to make things better.

 

How can a family group conference help?

We believe that families know themselves best. The meeting brings everyone together so they can:

  • talk through any worries and concerns for the child
  • think about what practical, emotional, and financial support the child and parents/carers need, and who can provide it
  • make a plan to resolve concerns and improve the wellbeing and safety of the child.

Who can have a conference?

A family group conference can be held for:

  • babies and unborn babies
  • children up to 18 years old
  • young people with SEND, up to 25 years old.

 

When can you have a conference?

Any time from when a family starts getting support from children’s services.

Taking part is completely voluntary and families can choose to have more than one conference, if needed.

 

Who will be at the meeting?

  • The child or young person (if they want to come).
  • Their parents or carers.
  • Anyone else they want to invite who can provide support, such as trusted friends, relatives or neighbours.
  • The family's social worker.
  • A coordinator who is independent from Children's Services and doesn't make decisions about a young person's future.
  • A translator or sign language interpreter, if needed.
  • A child or adult advocate, if needed.

 

What will happen?

The process usually takes between 4-8 weeks.

Before the family group conference

  1. Request a conference - you or a professional can reach out to us to request a family group conference.
  2. Talk to the coordinator - they will explain the purpose of the meeting and how it will work.
  3. Initial discussions - your coordinator will talk with you and the social worker to understand the concerns, identify the support needed, and decide who should attend the conference.
  4. Child/Young person's input - your coordinator will ask your child whether they want to attend and if there are any topics they want to discuss.
  5. Arrange a time and location - your family will choose a convenient time and place for the meeting and decide who to invite. Conferences are held in the community, with refreshments provided.
  6. Preparation - we aim to support everyone who is taking part. This includes providing written statements, arranging transport, and organising virtual meetings.
  7. Just before the meeting - your coordinator will meet with everyone to ensure all participants understand what will happen.

At the family group conference

The conference covers 3 parts:

  1. Introductions and information sharing - your coordinator will explain why and how the conference is taking place. Everyone will introduce themselves and the social worker will explain the concerns and what needs to change. Your child's views will also be shared at this point.
  2. Private family time - the coordinator and social worker will step out, giving your family time to discuss the agreed questions and make a plan. You can take breaks, ask for help, and take as much time as you need to create your plan.
  3. Agreeing the plan - when your family are happy with the plan, the coordinator and social worker will come back in. Everyone will go through the plan together and agree who is doing what and when. If needed, the plan will be shared with the child’s network, including professionals.
    Your family will be given an opportunity to meet again to review how the plan is going.

After the family group conference

  • Everyone will be sent a copy of the agreed plan.
  • Your coordinator will help you and your family understand the outcome of the family group conference.
  • The social worker and a nominated family member will check that the plan is working for everyone.

Request a family group conference 

If you think a family group conference could help, send us a message or speak to your social worker.

Privacy notice – Please read before submitting your information >

When you submit a question into the ask us box on this webpage, we need a contact number or email address from you in order to respond to your query.

This information is being gathered and will be processed on the basis that you are giving consent for us to do so. If you wish to withdraw consent at any time you can do so by emailing fgc@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

The information you give us will be held by the Family Group Conference team in Hertfordshire County Council and will only be used to respond to queries you have raised.

We will not share this information with a third party or use it for any other purpose.

We will only share information with third parties if we are legally obliged to do so, for example if it is necessary to safeguard or protect a child.

We may also share information with the police or other agencies if it is necessary for the following purposes:

  • the prevention or detection of crime
  • the apprehension or prosecution of offenders
  • the assessment or collection of any tax or duty or any imposition of a similar nature

The information that you supply to us will be kept on file until we have responded to your request. It will then be removed.

Hertfordshire County Council will be the Data Controller for this information.

You have the following rights in relation to this data:

  • You have the right to be informed about what information we hold about you and how we use it.
  • You have the right to request copies of any information the Council holds about you by making a subject access request.
  • If information we hold about you is factually inaccurate you have the right to have it corrected.
  • You have the right to object to the way we are using your data.
  • You have the right to request that your data is deleted. However we may be unable to delete your data if there is a need for us to keep it. In this case you will receive an explanation of why we need to keep the data.
  • You can also request that we stop using your data while we consider a request to have it corrected or deleted. There may be some circumstances in which we are unable to do this however we will provide an explanation if this is the case.
  • In certain circumstances you may also request data we hold about you in a format that allows it to be transferred to another organisation.
  • In the event that decisions are taken using automated processes you have the right to request that these decisions are reviewed by a member of staff and to challenge these decisions.

If you would like to request copies of your data, request that your data is deleted or have any other queries in relation to data which the Council holds about you please contact:

Data Protection Team
Hertfordshire County Council
County Hall
Pegs Lane
Hertford
SG13 8DQ
Tel: 01992 588099
Email: data.protection@hertfordshire.gov.uk

You can also contact our Data Protection Officer at dataprotection.officer@hertfordshire.gov.uk or in writing to the address above.

If you are unhappy with the way that Hertfordshire County Council has used your data or with the way we have responded to a request you also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office www.ico.org.uk.

 

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