The team around the family meeting is an opportunity to bring the family and those professionals supporting them together to review the action plan, discuss any new worries and look at improvements made.
The family and child or young person should attend and it is important to engage with them throughout the process to make sure their voices are heard.
What information do I need?
Key points to remember about your discussion are:
- Working together - You and other services are working with the child or young person and their family to find solutions
- Listening to the child or young person - The voice of the child and lived experience should be reflected throughout
- Voluntary - If the child, young person, or family member doesn’t want to take part, you can’t force them
- Focussed on the positives - This is a chance to talk about what a family does well, not just their challenges
- Transparent - The child, young person or family should know what is happening at every point and have given their consent
If at any point you are concerned about the safety or welfare of the child or young person, seek immediate advice at the end of the discussion.