Family Group Meetings are a collaborative case planning process. They are purposeful meetings that are held at critical planning and decision-making points within the casework process to involve family members and their networks in assessing and planning for their children’s safety and wellbeing. Family Group Meetings are opportunities for family members, network members and professionals to meet together to identify the dangers for the children and to work out a case plan that identifies realistic and meaningful solutions. Facilitation is the key that helps people make the shifts that are required in a change process: understanding the need for change, visioning a different future and acknowledging that real change requires changes in their own thoughts, attitudes and behaviours.

The primary responsibility of the Family Group Meeting Convenor is to facilitate family group meetings in accordance with the Child Protection Act 1999. FGM convenors are independent from the ongoing intervention provided by Child Safety Services. The neutrality of the position enables the focus to be on the process of the FGM, enabling each person’s voice to be heard and ideas to be considered, facilitating the group to work together to achieve their objective.

Within the Strengthening Families Protecting Children Framework for Practice, in any meeting with a family, we are striving for collaborative decision-making whenever possible. The greater the level of involvement of the family and network in decisionmaking about their children’s safety, belonging and wellbeing, the greater will be their level of ownership and commitment to the decisions. One of the main roles of convenors is to help participants of a Family Group Meeting to reach collaborative decisions.

The Family Group Meeting Convenor key responsibilities are to:

• Manage and coordinate the family group meeting process including referrals, identifying and coordinating participants, and facilitating meetings.
• Ensure the family group meeting process is facilitated in accordance with legislative principles and requirements.
• Prepare people to participate in family group meetings, including ensuring that all participants have a clear understanding of the purpose of the family group meeting.
• Obtain the views of persons who are unable to attend the family group meeting.
• Manage conflict and emotionally difficult conversations that may occur within the family group meeting process.
• Liaise with relevant internal staff, external participants and interpreters where appropriate.
• Maintain accurate records of case plans and other relevant information in accordance with departmental guidelines.
• Enhance the local regional community by actively practicing and promoting excellence in service delivery and public administration and identifying opportunities for improving regional client service.

Applications to remain current for 12 months.

QLD/455631/22 Closing Date Tuesday 29th November 2022