What is a Family Group Conference (FGC)?

An FGC is an opportunity that is open to all children, young people and their families across Torbay who are experiencing any kind of difficulties. It is completely voluntary, and you can access the service without the need for a referral.

The FGC service helps families to hold their own meetings which are completely family led and recognises the children, young people and their families as the key decision makers in the planning. You will be supported by an independent coordinator who can make all the arrangements with you to enable your meeting to happen and they would ensure all relevant people attend. Your meeting would include people who are important to you and your children. This can be family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, community members and professionals that support you. You are fully involved in the planning of the meeting and identifying who should attend.

We would always encourage children and young people to take part in their FGC whether that is in person or via a person called an advocate who will share their wishes and feelings on their behalf. An advocate is independent and is there to support the child or to be their voice when they cannot attend. All children aged five and above can access the advocates.

Why do we offer this service?
We believe that families can make good, safe and supportive decisions about the care of their children and with the help of the extended network around you, you can get the help and support you need to improve your situation for you and your children.

It is important that you and your family have a voice and can tell professionals what support you do have and what else you need to ensure your children are kept safe and well and are supported to grow and develop into healthy adults.

Why is this different to other meetings?
An FGC is completely family-led and offers families the opportunity to take the lead in the planning. You as a family write your own plan and everyone, including the children have a say in what that looks like.

An FGC is an informal meeting which is held in a neutral venue agreed between you and the coordinator. We want your meeting to be as relaxed and comfortable as possible and will provide you with refreshments during your meeting.

The FGC service is an independent service which sits within Torbay Early Help Service. We are not involved with any decisions being made about your children. We are there to help to arrange and facilitate your meeting for you.

What does an FGC look like?
An FGC is split into three parts:
1. The information giving stage – this is where any professionals will be invited to attend your meeting to share any information and tell you about any support you could access and use in your plan.
2. Private family time – during this stage, all professionals will leave the room to allow you and your identified network (your family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, or community members) to have open and honest discussions about the current situation in private. You will also put together your plan during this stage of the meeting.
3. Agreeing the plan – Once you have finished putting together your plan, the professionals will be asked to come back in so that we can look at your plan together and make sure that we have all the relevant information and timescales for when things will be done, for e.g. if a professional has offered to refer you to a service, we would ask them to provide a date of when they will do it by. The coordinator will help you to make contingency plans in case any part of your plan is disrupted by unforeseen circumstances, for example if someone is unwell and cannot do what they said they would do.

Once your family plan is agreed, the coordinator will ensure that your plan is written up and sent out to everyone that attends your meeting so that everyone knows what was agreed.

The coordinator will also make arrangements with you for a review of your plan within 12 weeks to see how things are going. You will be able to continue with your current plan if it is working well or make amendments to it if needed.

Contact us on 07824 537242 or email FGC.referrals@torbay.gov.uk