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  Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools    

For Child Welfare Professionals

  • Tools for Permanency - Family Group Decision Making:
    This tool from the National Resource Center for Foster Care & Permanency Planning (NRCFCPP) offers information about this family-focused, culturally sensitive approach to developing safety and permanency plans with families for children who are in foster care or who are at risk of entering foster care due to parental abuse or neglect. (Revised September 1998)

 

  Teleconferences, Webinars, Webcasts & Videos    
  • Family Group Conferencing: Bringing the Family into Family-Centered Practice
    In this archived National Resource Center for Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC) webcast, Dr. Gerald P. Mallon, Executive Director of the NRCPFC, discussed Family Group Conferencing with panelists: Karin Gunderson, Child Welfare Training Faculty/Family at the Northwest Institute for Children and Families; Deanna Grace, Decision-making Coordinator of African American Children’s Services (OAACS); and Pattie Elofson, Director of Child Welfare for the Lower Elwha Tribe. (December 8, 2004)

*Many of these resources were developed previously by the National Resource Center for
Permanency and Family Connections (NRCPFC).

  Informational & Practice Publications, Resources, & Tools    
  • Family Group Decision Making: Building and Reinvigorating Relationships 
    Developed by the National Resource Center for Healthy Marriage and Families, this fact sheet provides an introduction to the concept of family group decision making and explores how it positively affects family and other interpersonal relationships.  The origin of family group conferences and the core elements of family group decision making are discussed, as well as how this practice strengthens relationships within families, between agencies and families, and among community members. (2013)

For Child Welfare Professionals

  • Guidelines for Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) in Child Welfare 
    American Humane, in partnership with the FGDM Guidelines Committee, released this landmark publication. They hope that these guidelines will not only facilitate greater understanding of FGDM, but will also promote solid practice in the U.S. and abroad. This publication covers topics including: the FGDM coordinator, referral to FGDM, preparation, family meetings, follow-up after family meetings, and administrative support. (April 2010)
  • Family Team Conferencing
    This brief from the Child Welfare Policy and Practice Group explains the purpose and activities of a Family Team Conference in child welfare services, discusses the benefits, key principles, how Family Team Conferences have evolved, and characteristics. Elements of Family Team Conferences are described, along with decision making strategies under the Family Team Conferences model. An attachment describes specific steps of a Family Team Conference.

 

  Training & Curricula    
  • Introduction to Family Group Decision Making
    This two-part online curricula from the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program focuses on introducing participants to Family Group Decision Making (FGDM). 
    • Part 1: Introduces the foundations of the FGDM practice and prepares participants to begin planning for implementation and participate successfully in FGDM. (Revised May 2012)
    • Part 2: A three-day workshop to prepare participants to serve as coordinators, facilitators and other critical partners for the FGDM Process and give participants the opportunity to practice the skills needed to perform effectively in these roles. (Revised May 2012)
  State Examples    
  • California: Team Decisionmaking
    This resource from Family to Family (F2F) California provides an array of information regarding Team Decisionmaking (TDM) and includes examples of TDM protocols from various F2F sites. 
  • Mississippi
 


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Last updated 8/18/14