2.1.2 Family Support Conferences |
Contents
- Background
- Criteria for Holding a Family Support Conference
- Convening/Chairing of Family Support Conferences
1. Background
Family Support Conferences were originally developed by the Oxfordshire Area Child Protection Committee and continue under the Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board’s Procedures as an alternative to a Child Protection Conference, where the family shares to a sufficient extent the professionals’ view of the problem and is willing and able to work to reduce the risk to the child.
This was part of the refocusing of services to safeguard and promote the welfare of children based on numerous research projects from which a key message was that the best outcomes for children were not achieved when the child protection process was employed even when the parents acknowledged their difficulty and were willing and able to work with professionals to address the difficulty. If formal child protection processes are used in these situations, parents unsurprisingly become alienated and much less likely to benefit from the support on offer.
2. Criteria for Holding a Family Support Conference
The following questions should be addressed when determining the appropriate care planning process. If all questions can be answered in the affirmative, then a Family Support Conference is indicated.
Please note that where the child has already suffered serious harm or where a fabricated or induced illness is suspected, parental expressions of agreement and cooperation may not be enough to justify not convening a Child Protection Conference.
| Key Question | Yes | No | |
| 1. | Is there a likelihood of Significant Harm due to the actions, failure or inability of the child’s parents or carers? | ||
| 2. | Do the parents/carers broadly agree with the professionals’ view of the problem? | ||
| 3. | Are the parents/carers willing and able to work with professionals to reduce the risk to the child? | ||
| 4. | Is it the case that serious physical injury or emotional harm has not already occurred? |
Where there is not a likelihood of significant harm but there is a need for a multi agency plan, other mechanisms such as planning meetings should be used – see the Oxfordshire Threshold of Needs Matrix.
3. Convening/Chairing of Family Support Conferences
The arrangements for Family Support Conferences are the same as for Child Protection Conferences – see Oxfordshire Safeguarding Children Board’s Procedures.
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