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Chapter Eight: Concluding Remarks
2.8.1 This section of the report was based on interviews and some e-mail correspondence with 28 people who had a particular interest in or experience of Family Group Conferencing. Views expressed by such a small number cannot be taken to be representative, especially when not balanced by input from children, parents or other family members. Their main value is to examine some of the issues covered in the literature from a practical perspective and to provide an insight (albeit limited) of how services are developing across the UK.
2.8.2 It is clear that FGC services have become well established in several local authorities across the UK. Many of those working in FGC services are 'passionate' that this is an ethical and practical way of enabling families to care for their children. As yet there is little research evidence that this form of decision making produces better outcomes for children. However well documented poor outcomes for care leavers indicate that there is a need to improve mainstream decision making processes and practice.
2.8.3 Despite the enthusiasm of service providers and many academics, some resistance from social workers is typically encountered when FGC is introduced. It was widely argued that resistance is lessened when the scheme is introduced by strong in-house managers who champion the cause and use their managerial authority to ensure that practice is changed. However there was a consensus that some form of official mandate is required if FGC is to become mainstream practice, especially in situations involving risk.
2.8.4 This review provided some evidence for arguing that there might be a case for thinking of FGC being developed in a variety of ways to respond to specific service needs, rather than a single model. For example, an in-house team of qualified social workers may be best placed to develop this approach within child protection systems, with other options more appropriate when the main focus is on developing a contact plan for accommodated children.
2.8.5 One of the main messages from this report is that social work systems are resistant to working in more participative ways and developing services which give families more control. This means that something of a paradigm shift will be needed in order to implement the aims and ethos of Changing Lives.
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