Learning goals

This chapter will enable you to:

1. Develop an understanding of the origins of family decision-making models of practice in child welfare

2. Place this development in the context of rights-based practice

3. Identify the key elements and knowledge base of family decision-making models of practice

4. Understand the key stages of the Family Group Conference as an example of family decision making

5. Reflect upon the possibilities of using family decision making in your own practice.

Introduction

Many services support the notion of involving families in decision making. The nature or extent of that family engagement in a child welfare context, however, creates a range of responses that are often influenced by societal pressures and competing demands (Connolly, 1999). Conceptualising family participation across levels of practitioner response is a useful way of understanding the extent of service commitment to meaningful family involvement (Connolly & Ward, 2008).

At the most basic level, families are consulted and their views taken into account. This requires that the practitioner listen to the family and consult over what may need to happen to resolve the concerns they may have. The next level will see families actively contributing to solutions. Here service providers demonstrate confidence in the family and trust family-led problem-solving. A higher level still of family participation might then see the proactive seeking of family feedback as a service user – and using that feedback to constructively improve services.