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Our advice service

Are you a parent, kinship carer relative or friend of a child who is involved with, or who needs the help of, children’s services in England? We can help you understand processes and options when social workers or courts are making decisions about your child’s welfare.

Our advice service is free, independent and confidential.

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By phone or email

To speak to an adviser, please call our free and confidential advice line 0808 801 0366 (Monday to Friday 9.30am to 3pm, excluding Bank Holidays). Or you can ask us a question via email using our advice enquiry form.

Discuss on our forums

Our online advice forums are an anonymous space where parents and kinship carers (also known as family and friends carers) can get legal and practical advice, build a support network and learn from other people’s experiences.

Advice on our website

Our get help and advice section has template letters, advice sheets and resources about legal and social care processes. On Monday and Wednesday afternoons, you can use our webchat service to chat online to an adviser.

 

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Councillors’ Network – Family Group Conferences

Date: Thursday 30th January
Time: 12.00-13.00
Location: Online (via Zoom)

Open to all councillors with an interest.
To register, please email Laurie Bolling on lbolling@frg.org.uk  

About the event

The Government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will make it mandatory for local authorities to offer families a family group decision making meeting, before issuing care proceedings, in order to address concerns about their child’s welfare.  

In the Bill’s explanatory notes and the Government’s policy paper, “Keeping Children Safe: Helping Families Thrive” they specifically mention family group conferences (FGCs) as an example of family group decision-making which has very strong evidence of averting children from going into or remaining in care.  

This event will allow you to learn more about: 

  • family group conferences;   
  • how your authority can prepare for the new legislative requirements;  
  • how family group conferences are being used at different stages in the child welfare process; and 
  • their transformative power for families and children.  

Family Rights Group is the leading authority in the UK on family group conferences, join us and hear from our expert team alongside a local authority senior leader, a manager of a family group conference service and family members with lived experience. 

About our Councillors’ Network

Family Rights Group’s Councillors’ Network is a partnership for change with local councillors from all parties to improve outcomes for children and support for parents and kinship carers. Local councillors with responsibility for children’s social care drive the agenda in their local child welfare system. At Family Rights Group, we are working with councillors to ensure the child welfare and family justice systems support children to live safely and thrive within their family, while strengthening the family and community networks of those children who cannot live at home.   

The network is free to join and is open to councillors, of all political parties, with responsibility for, or an interest in, children’s social care.  

Becoming a member of our network will give you access to regular e-communications, written briefings and invites to exclusive councillor events including short virtual briefings and roundtables. Click here to learn more about the network and how you can join

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