Family-led Practice

SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER

Family-led practice is a way of working with families, formally and informally, to enhance their ability to care for and protect their children. It focuses on children’s safety and their needs within families and communities, and aims to support families to mobilise their own networks to reduce risk for their children.

It's based on the belief that decisions that affect a whole family should be taken with the whole family.

Family-led practice includes the use of family meetings and family group conferences (FGCs). These help to improve shared decision making for children, by supporting families’ natural rights to make decisions about their own lives before the local authority can. A major strength of this approach is that the child or young person normally participates in the meeting and can therefore have a major influence on the plans that are made for them.

Find out more, including how to make a referral for family group conferences and who to contact for further information, using the link below.

Family-led Practice

AMENDMENT

This chapter was amended in February 2024. A link was added to Family-led Practice Information.