On Tuesday 14th October 2025, Community Catalysts and the University of Birmingham were pleased to host an online event on Family and Group Conferencing for Adults.

The event featured a one-hour webinar followed by a virtual gathering for Research and Practice Network members.

We were delighted to welcome 98 attendees throughout the event who joined from across the UK and beyond.

The webinar section focused on the findings of research by the University of Birmingham. We heard from Professor Jerry Tew and two lived-experience researchers, Kar-Man Au and Katy Evans.

“I have really valued hearing about the impactful work in FGCs and the positive outcomes for the person at the centre and their family. “

“I really valued Katy's insight on the power of the adult person’s voice and their emotions through the FGC process.”

Sean Ahern and Katriona Hartnett (FGC for Adults Managers at London Borough of Camden) joined Nick Sinclair (Programme Director at Community Catalysts) to share about the upcoming ‘Test and Learn Together’ Programme co-hosted by the two organisations. This new programme is aimed at councils who are interested in adopting the FGC for Adults model in a sustainable way and will provide support to design, pilot and embed the approach.

Following the webinar, members and attendees were invited to stay to hear practice examples from:
• Edinburgh Council (Pam Dudgeon) – supporting adults with alcohol and drug issues
• Perth and Kinross Council (Lauren Suttie) – supporting young people transitioning into adulthood
• London Borough of Waltham Forest (Caoimhe McKenna) – as part of their early help offer.

The event was busy with lots of information, engagement and connection across people old and new to FGC for Adults.

There was a real sense of momentum and enthusiasm and we look forward to meeting in person in 2026.

“Thanks so much, great to hear how FGC is flourishing.”

Read about this year's Research and Practice Network Gathering which took place on 8th April in London.

Welcome to the "Family and Community Group Conference Lived Experienced Practice Notes" blog series, brought to you by Kar Man and Tim. In this series, we will share our insights and experiences from Family and Group  Conferencing (FGC).

Alivia Bray and Lyndsey Taylor of the Adult Mental Health Family Group Conferencing service in Essex talk about the training programme which has been developed there with the aim of sharing the skills and the ethos of FGC, and to demonstrate its place in the provision of collaborative mental healthcare and decision-making as widely as possible.

Dr Lynn Prendergast, Holistic Reach Consultancy Ltd and
Jo Shead, Senior Practitioner, Essex Perinatal Mental Health Service talk about the challenge of delivering a consistent and effective service in the everchanging landscape of health and social care.