Welcome to the Research and Practice Network.

Family and Group Conferencing (FGC) is growing as an approach in adult social care and mental health services.  It offers an inclusive process in which people can plan for their support and/or recovery on their own terms - alongside family, friends and other people that matter to them.

The Research and Practice Network provides a forum for developing practice through learning together and exchanging ideas, experiences and findings from research.

This network is hosted by Community Catalysts CIC.

The afternoon featured a series of presentations and discussions around current practice and practice issues.
Sean Ahern and Maria Smith from Camden presented a fascinating story of how Dennis was encouraged and supported to have a Conference to bring together the people who were important to him, and could help to give more consistent support in enabling him to have a safer and more rewarding life in his older age – but in a way that respected who he was and the life that he had led.
Michaela Calvert presented a deeply insightful account of her own experience of having a FGC, how this had changed things for her and what she had learned from this. Crucial to her had been how the process levelled power hierarchies and brought everyone together (professionals and network members) as part of her circle - and how this enabled her to find her voice at the centre (in her supportive chair that was specially transported in to the venue).

Alivia Bray and Yasmin Morgenstern from Essex presented on how they have adapted and developed Family Group Conferencing in an adult mental health service. There is much about FGC that can be somewhat counter-cultural in an NHS setting where decisions are usually made by clinicians rather than the person and their network. What was particularly interesting was the time that goes into working with the person during the preparation phase in order to support them in developing their own personal recovery plan which is confidential to them. It is then for the person to decide what of this they wish to share with their network and practitioners in the FGC process. This reverses the conventional power relations of clinical practice and puts the person in the ‘driving seat’ of their recovery process, alongside the people that matter to them.

Paul Allen (also from Birmingham) rounded off the afternoon session by reflecting on a particular conference process and some of the issues that this raised in terms of the conversations that go into preparation. This highlighted the importance of the coordinator managing the ‘space’ for conversations to take place, but being comfortable living with the uncertainty as to what outcome may emerge from these.