It is up to the parents or carers (or young person aged 16 or 17) to decide who should be invited. Those invited can include:
- People from the family and friends network
- Practitioners who know the family.
Children and young people’s views should also be central as to who is invited to attend.
If there is disagreement about who should be invited the coordinator will help the family to think through what might happen if key people are or are not there.
Sometimes the child or parent may be concerned about being at risk of harm if certain people attend. Although conferences can go ahead in these circumstances with agreed safety measures in place, sometimes this may not be possible. It will then be necessary to have two conferences. Or, the person who is not invited can be asked to give their views in another way, for example in writing.