16/01/2020

At-risk families in need of support to better care for their children will receive specialised help thanks to a new program, which aims to keep families together.

The $1.6 million Family Group Conferencing pilot program is expected to help more than 200 South Australian families and is being delivered by Relationships Australia South Australia (RASA) in partnership with the Department for Child Protection.

A family group conference is a facilitated, voluntary process led by family members to plan and make decisions that protect a child or young person who is at risk of harm or abuse or has been abused.

RASA facilitators will run the conferences and support at-risk families to develop their own plan that has the safety and care of the child or young person at its core.

Previously, family group conferences were only convened by the Youth Court of SA and the new model will target families as part of an earlier child protection intervention strategy.

Minister for Child Protection Rachel Sanderson said providing early intervention options such as this one was “pivotal” to help begin to reduce the number of children and young people coming into care.

“Family group conferences aim to ensure everyone at the conference is able to speak and be heard, including children, where appropriate,” said Minister Sanderson.

“Ultimately, the aim of this program is to keep children and young people safely in their own families, wherever possible, and connected to their own cultures and communities, because we know this gives them better outcomes in life..

“We recognise that everyone’s family situation is different and that’s why for some children, their extended family may be able to help protect and care for them.”

Minister Sanderson said a key focus of the new program would be empowering Aboriginal family and community members to identify strategies to keep Aboriginal children and young people safe.

“The family group conferencing model provides children, families and community members with an opportunity to make decisions that are family and community led, and built on the strengths of the family, to bring about change for safe and stable care arrangements for the child or young person,” said Minister Sanderson.

RASA Chief Executive Officer Claire Ralfs PHD said a key principle of family group conferencing was giving families the opportunity to develop their own solutions and encouraging families to support each other and take back responsibility for themselves.

“There is increasing evidence that family group conferencing has immediate and long-term benefits for families engaged, or at risk of being engaged, with the formal child protection system,” said Ms Ralfs.  

“Relationships Australia South Australia is excited by the opportunity to be part of the implementation of family group conferencing with the Department for Child Protection.”