Benefits of Family Networking and Family Group Conferencing 

  • Helps the family understand the agency's role and reason for involvement
  • Families fully participate in planning for the safety and protection of their children
  • Greater feelings of empowerment by families. Families are encouraged and supported to make decisions and plans
  • Creation of a plan that is accepted by the family network
  • Mobilisation of greater informal and formal support for families
  • A strength-based approach is used instead of a deficit-based model
  • The agency and the family work together, instead of "against" one another, to create a family plan
  • The family and friends’ network is available to the child 24/7, whereas a professional is not usually available after 5:30pm or at weekends