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Family Group Conferences as empowerment practice:

some dilemmas and opportunities

Paul Nixon

Assistant Director

Children and Young People’s Service

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Family Group Conferences

Process both ancient and new Sprang from disenfranchised communities Challenged the orthodoxy Remind us of the importance of families to

children

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Key questions…

What is empowerment?

How do we make sense of theories of power?

What does this mean for social work and family

group conferences?

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‘Empowerment is an inherently political idea in which issues of power, the ownership of power, inequalities of power and the acquisition of redistribution of power are central’

(Croft and Beresford 2000)

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‘Empowerment is not only good for you: it seems to be becoming an essential for a better life. Therefore if you are unable to do it for yourself you may need professional assistance in doing so….

…furthermore, you may need professional help to recognise that you are in need of this type of professional assistance’

(Baistow 1994)

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Victim

OppressorRescuer (Practitioner)

OppressorFacilitator (Practitioner)

Self Empowered

person

Social Work & Empowerment (Adams 2003)

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Arnstein’s ladder (1969) Citizen control Delegated power Partnership Placation Consultation Informing Therapy Manipulation

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‘Given our power to legitimate, we need to be more critical and less casual about what we advocate as empowering’

Rappaport 1995

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Empowerment can be…..

Tokenistic Problematic Paradoxical

(Adams 2003)

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Tokenism or real participation?

Are citizens…?

Involved from the outset? Playing a key role in assessing the situation? Having a say in how services are planned,

managed and delivered? Given control over the allocation of resources? Contributing centrally to the evaluation of service

delivery?

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3 dimensional view of power

1.Power of individuals

2. Local context –local interests

3. Interplay of structural, local and personal

(Lukes 1974)

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Variable sum - power is flexible & expandable

(changes by context)

Fixed Sum - power is finite

(one gains = another loses)

Power relationship model

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Some modern day problems………….of

social work…..

Bureaucratic and managerial control Driven by fear Narrow focus Legal colonisation of decision making Lack of political support

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The social worker...

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Messages from Research (DH 1995) 19 studies5 features of effective practice

1. Sensitive and Informed Profs/Client relationships

2. Appropriate balance of power

3. Wide perspective on child protection

4. Supervision and training

5. Enhancing children’s general quality of life

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What works…?

‘The most important condition for success was found always to be the quality of the relationship between the child’s family and responsible professional’

(DH 1995 - Messages from Research)

Partnership is easy…

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How does therapy work?

Client characteristics and social support (40%)

Therapist-client relationships (30%)

Client hopefulness (15%)

Therapeutic technique (15%)

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Community

Organisation

Group

Interpersonal

Self

Domains of empowerment

Technical expertDisempowering

Reflection-in-actionEmpowering

Extent of reflectiveness in practice

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Aspects of disempowering/empowering practice

Technical/rationality(Disempowering)

ProfessionalFragmentedSegregated

TrainedAcquiescent/oppressed

WorkTechnical/habit

ApproachesDivergent

Problem-focusedProblem-describing

EvaluationExperimental method

Observer/scientist

Reflection in action(Empowering)

HolisticIntegrated

Lifelong learnerAssertive/empowered

Reflective/practice: appreciating dilemmas and uncertainties

ConvergentSolution-focusedProblem-solving

Action research modelsParticipant/co-producer

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Children’s participation

• How would children define good outcomes?

• Do adults know better?

• `Double-jeopardy’

• Adult anxiety

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Risk of coming into care?

Child AAged 5 to 9No dependence on social securityTwo parent familyThree or fewer childrenWhite

Owner occupied homeMore rooms than people

Odds are 1 in 7000

Child B

Aged 5 to 9

Income Support

Single Parent

Four or more children

Mixed ethnic origin

Private rented home

One or more persons per

room

Odds are 1 in 10

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‘Need is also a political instrument, meticulously prepared, calculated and used’

Foucault 1980

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‘Every statement made in an assessment report by a Social Worker is at least as much a statement about that particular social worker, in the wider context of her/his role and agency, as it is a statement about those who are being assessed’

The myth of assessment - Ryburn (1991)

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3 Models of Assessment

1. Questioning (expert professional)2. Procedural (agency prescribed)

3. Exchange (partnership based)

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‘Family members know more about their family than any professional can

possibly know. They have a unique knowledge and understanding’

(DoH 1995)

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Information about services is a source of power to professionals

(Wagner 1988, SSI 1991)

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Assessment modelsAssessment models

DECISION MAKING

FAMILY

FOCUS

PR

OC

ED

UR

AL

STRUCTURAL/POLITICAL

CITIZEN

AT

TIT

UD

ES

PA

RT

NE

RS

HIP

S

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Assessment - Questioning / Procedural models Assessment - Questioning / Procedural models (disempowering)(disempowering)

DECISION MAKING

FAMILY

FOCUS

PR

OC

ED

UR

AL

STRUCTURAL/POLITICAL

CITIZEN

AT

TIT

UD

ES

PA

RT

NE

RS

HIP

S

DOWNPLAYING

PATHOLOGY

PROFESSIONAL

PROBLEM/INCIDENT

PR

ES

ER

VIN

G

‘CO

RR

EC

TN

ES

S’

CO

RR

OD

ING

EXCLUDED

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Assessment – Exchange and action model Assessment – Exchange and action model (empowering)(empowering)

DECISION MAKING

FAMILY

FOCUS

PR

OC

ED

UR

AL

STRUCTURAL/POLITICAL

CITIZEN

AT

TIT

UD

ES

PA

RT

NE

RS

HIP

S

RECOGNISING

STRENGTHS

SHARED

CONTEXT

INVOLVED

CH

AL

LE

NG

ING

FL

EX

IBIL

ITY

BU

ILD

ING

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`Emphasis on the phrase ‘ common language’ implies that the skill is in the agencies talking, but inquiry reports and research demonstrate that to the contrary: the skill is in the listening’ (Raynes 2004)

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‘Empowerment can be weak and short lived unless it is embodied in institutions’ (Chambers 1997)

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Getting a strong mandate for FGC?

Legal mandate

Procedural mandate

Best Practice’ mandate

(Doolan 2002)

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Changing organisations

Empowering front line staff Involving service users in policy Children have a key role Delegating resources to those nearest to the

problem / solution Clear values