Councillors’ Network: How is your council delivering family group decision making? 

How is your council delivering family group decision making? 

Our briefing for councillors will explore the new Children’s Wellbeing legislation and best practice. Hear from practice experts, local authorities and families. 

About the event

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026 makes major changes to the child welfare system in England. That includes the new landmark duty on local authorities to offer families a family group decision making (FGDM) meeting before children enter the care system. It gives families an opportunity to come together and make a plan in response to concerns about the child’s welfare. 

Family Group Conferences (FGC) are the gold standard of family group decision making approaches. Widely adopted across the UK, internationally recognised and evaluated, with a set of clear principles. They are proven to safely avert children from care. 

As your local authority gets to grips with implementing the new duty, our special briefing for councillors will allow you to learn more about: 

• family group conferences;    
• the new FGDM duty and how family group conferences help your authority deliver it; 
• how family group conferences are being used at different stages in the child welfare system; and
• their transformative power for families and children.   

You will hear from experts in family group conference practice, local authorities delivering on the ground, and families who have benefited. 

Confirmed speakers:

• Tendai Murowe, Assistant Director at Birmingham Children’s Trust
• Brooklynn Reid, a member of our Parents’ Panel with lived experience of the child welfare system

Family Rights Group is the leading authority in the UK on family group conferences. We first witnessed the impact in New Zealand, where the approach it originates. Today, the country has one of the lowest rates of children in care and more children living safely within their family. Feeling inspired, we brought family group conferences to the UK in the 1990s and have remained champions of the approach to this day. We were influential in shaping the new legislation and lead the national family group conference network. 

Join us for this lunch hour session, packed with useful insights to help shape how your local authority supports children and families.

For further information, please contact [email protected]. 

About our Councillor’s Network