I was encouraged to see the NHS 10-Year Plan, launched in early July 2025, calling for a shift from reactive services to preventative, person-centred approaches. At Community Catalysts we see Family and Group Conferencing (FGC) for Adults as a key tool in delivering such big and bold change. Cited directly in the Plan (on p.34), it reflects a broader move toward more inclusive, community-based solutions where power is shared and dispersed.

FGC for Adults brings together professionals and people at risk of poor outcomes with their wider family and support network to make informed, collective decisions. Rather than professionals dictating outcomes, this approach recognises that families and communities often hold the main pieces of the jigsaw to lasting, sustainable support. The approach is proven to reduce dependency on overstretched services, prevent crisis by enable earlier action whilst helping to strengthens informal networks that last beyond statutory involvement.  Check out this fantastic example of Camden Council’s work in this space.

Adult FGC and approaches like this matter enormously in a health system seeking transformation. It aligns with the Plan’s focus on prevention, local empowerment, and smarter use of resources. It’s cost effective, relationship-driven, and proven to reduce the need for formal safeguarding or intensive care packages.

In delivering the NHS 10-Year Plan, we don’t see things like Family and Group Conferencing for Adults as a nice to have or an add-on – rather it is a practical, values-driven approach that embodies what the future of care should look like – preventative, participatory, and powered by people and their networks.