BJSW Advance Access originally published online on January 17, 2006
British Journal of Social Work 2006 36(4):671-681; doi:10.1093/bjsw/bch421
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Children’s Views of Family Group Conferences
Dr Margaret Bell is Senior Lecturer in Social Work at the University of York. Professor Kate Wilson is Professor of Social Work at the University of Nottingham. Both authors teach and research in the field of social work and child welfare, with a particular emphasis on child protection processes, looked after children and therapeutic work with children and young people.
Correspondence to Dr Margaret Bell, Department of Social Policy and Professional Studies, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK. E-mail: mrb7{at}york.ac.uk
The note reports one part of a research study which looked at the experiences of the first twenty families who participated in a family group conference pilot project. The research reports the largely positive views of twenty children aged between six and sixteen who were interviewed and/or returned questionnaires. Based on the experiences of the children in this project, children’s inclusion in family group conferences is generally to be encouraged. They mostly valued the experience of being consulted and welcomed opportunities for families to develop relationships and work together on issues, free from the attentions of social services. Nonetheless, although family group conferences can usefully include children and have a clear role in child welfare practice, they are not necessarily the route to empowering practice for all children and families.
Keywords: family group conferences, children’s views, listening to children