Child and family welfare services frequently speak about participation, but professional systems still tend to define the problem, control the meeting and propose the solution. A Family Group Conference (FGC) changes that sequence. It creates a structured process in which the wider family and relevant people from the child’s network receive information, deliberate privately and develop a plan in response to clearly defined concerns.
The model is used internationally in child welfare, family support and related settings. Its innovative value is not simply that more people attend a meeting. The central shift is in decision-making: professionals clarify concerns, legal boundaries and available support, while the family network is given protected space to build a plan.
Preparation is part of the intervention
A strong conference begins well before the meeting. An independent coordinator identifies relevant family and network members, explains the process, prepares the child, considers safety and conflict, and helps participants understand the questions they will address. Without careful preparation, the conference can reproduce existing power imbalances or become another formal meeting dominated by confident adults.
Children need support suited to their age and circumstances. This may include a trusted support person, help expressing their views, clear information about what can and cannot be decided, and a plan for participating without feeling exposed.
Private family time creates a different kind of responsibility
After information is shared, the family network meets without professionals to develop its plan. Private family time is a defining principle because it communicates that families are not only sources of information; they are capable contributors to decisions. The resulting plan is then reviewed against safety and legal requirements and connected to formal services where necessary.
FGC depends on interprofessional collaboration
The model can bring together child welfare, schools, health services, community organisations and informal support. That does not automatically produce collaboration. Professionals need a shared understanding of the process, clarity about roles, timely information and willingness to support a plan they did not design themselves. Research connecting FGC with social innovation highlights this combination of family participation and interprofessional coordination.
Adapt context—but protect the core principles
Implementation in Bosnia and Herzegovina showed why contextual adaptation matters. The model was introduced in a transitional welfare environment and later developed for early preventive use in schools. Language, referral routes, institutional mandates and available community resources required adjustment. Yet adaptation must not remove the features that give the model meaning: independent coordination, broad network participation, informed child participation, private family time and a clear follow-up process.
Follow-up determines whether the plan lives
A conference can produce energy and agreement, but families may still need services, practical resources and professional accountability. Organisations should therefore define who monitors progress, when the plan is reviewed, how the child can raise concerns and what happens if agreed support is delayed. Evaluation should examine not only whether a conference occurred, but also participation quality, plan implementation, network mobilisation, professional follow-through and the experience of the child and family.
Family Group Conferences do not remove professional responsibility. They reorganise it. The professional task becomes creating safe conditions for family-led planning, making resources and limits transparent, and remaining accountable for the support that enables a family plan to work.
Research references
Bozic, A., Hean, S. & Tembjerg, P. (2024). Social innovation and interprofessional collaboration in child–family reunification services: The Family Group Conference. DOI/source ↗
Bozic, A. (2018). Priručnik za primjenu Porodične grupne konferencije u školama u Bosni i Hercegovini. IN Foundation. Practice manual ↗
Associate Professor at the University of Stavanger. His FGC experience includes programme development, implementation, training, evaluation and research on social innovation and collaboration.
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