Blue Hills ADR Newsletter

Internal Leads and ADR Campaigns

Each CAS has their own ADR Champion and we encourage you to seek their consultation and support each time you have questions while considering ADR for a child in need of protection. Below are each of the Internal Champions across Central East Region:

Northumberland CAS: Durham CAS Simcoe CAS: Kawartha Haliburton CAS: York CAS:

Family Group Decision Making:

Child Focused + Strength Based
Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) invites families to come together as the best people to make short and long term decisions for their children. It allows the CAS worker to approve and support their decisions. Research indicates that FGDM is an effective intervention because of its strength based, family focused approach. The terms Family Group Conferencing (FGC) and Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) are interchangeable. We refer to FGDM because it helps families better understand the process and is less likely to be confused with Family Centered Conferencing (FCC). FGDM is used worldwide. Developed in New Zealand and inspired by the Maori people, FGDM allows families to be the authors of plans that involve their children. This is accomplished by widening the family circle of support, and by providing families with a safe forum to make plans that ensure safety for their children. It is particularly effective in cases where CAS must make long-term or permanent plans for children. Regular use of FGDM in New Brunswick (2009-10) led to a 20% reduction of the number of children in care! Ontario has a provincial resource for family group conferencing housed by The George Hull Centre for Children and Families in Toronto. They monitor the roster of qualified Family Group Decision Making Coordinators. (See page 5 for a message from the coordinator of the Provincial Resource.) The American Humane Association (AHA) has provided FGDM training and research since 1995. AHA is a national leader in developing programs, policies, training, research and evaluation, and cutting-edge initiatives to prevent and respond to child abuse and neglect.

Linking to Research and Websites:

http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/docs/protecting-children/PC-fgdm-guidelines.pdf http://www.americanhumane.org/protecting-children/resources/protecting-children-journal/ http://www.americanhumane.org/assets/docs/protecting-children/pc-pc-18_1-18_2.pdf