Transcript Family Group Decision Making

Family Group Decision
Making in Blair County
April 22, 2014
Today’s Agenda:
 History of Model
 FGDM and the prevention
 Values & Beliefs
of placement and
strengthening families
 How FGDM and Juvenile
Probation work together
 FGDM and the child in
placement
 More Information
 How is FGDM different?
 BARJ Principles
 Why it Works
 Meeting Steps
 Strength versus Deficit
Practice
Purpose of FGDM:
 To establish a process for families to join
with relatives and friends to develop a plan
to ensure that children are cared for and
protected from future harm in ways which
fit their culture and situation.
Purpose of FGDM:
 To ensure that juvenile offenders are
accountable for their actions, responsible to
ensure that future protection to the
community is upheld and to develop
competencies so that the harm done may be
repaired with the victim and the community.
Purpose of FGDM (cont):
 It extends the responsibility for youth
safety, well-being, permanence and
community safety to families, communities
and natural support systems.
Purpose of FGDM:
 To encompass the Restorative Justice
Philosophy and its concepts of BARJ giving
equal attention to the offender, victim and
the community.
History of FGDM IN
Blair County
 Originated in New Zealand
 Excessive amounts of Maori children placed in
non-relative and government institutions
 First training with Jim Nice was in May 2005
Why FGDM?
 Cross-system initiative
 Philosophical shift from deficits to strengths
 Enhancement of family/community involvement
 Fits the cultural/ethnic diversity found in PA
 Helps us partner with community to implement
the BARJ principles
 Philosophical shift rather than JUST a program
Values & Beliefs:
 Families have strengths and can change.
 Strengths are what ultimately resolve concerns.
 Strengths are identified through
listening, noticing and paying
attention to people.
 Strengths are enhanced when they
are acknowledged and encouraged.
Values & Beliefs (cont.):
 People gain a sense of hope when they feel someone has
really listened to them.
 Options are preferable to advice.
 Empowering people is preferable to
controlling them.
 A consultant is better than a boss.
FGDM Can Be Utilized When:
 A Juvenile has admitted to the offense or been




found guilty of the offense
A Juvenile is at the Court/Intake level
A Juvenile is under supervision
A Juvenile is returning from placement
Prevention of further family involvement in the
Juvenile System
BARJ: Youth
should leave JJ
more capable,
responsible &
productive
FGDM:
Focus is on
repairing the
harm
Real Justice
H
e
a
l
i
f
n
g
BARJ
H
a
r
m
Connection
FGDM
Restorative
Justice
(VICTIM)
BARJ: Community
Protection – right
to feel safe &
secure
FGDM: Focus is
on restoring the
community’s
feeling of trust &
Safety
(Community)
Accountability
FGDM: Focus is on
having the youth be
responsible for behavior
and plan for correction
BARJ: Juvenile obligation to
victim and community
(Offender)
BARJ & FGDM:
 Accountability
Families place expectations of the
juvenile and ensure reparations are made
and restitution is paid. CSP is completed
and victims may participate in the
FGDM.
FGDM Benefits Victims by:
♥ Increasing safety for family members
♥ Bringing greater clarity and value to the voice and
concerns of victims
♥ Increasing community involvement in resolution
♥ Providing a safe healing opportunity for victims
BARJ & FGDM:
 Community Protection
Families devise a plan for appropriate
supervision and structure, while taking
ownership.
BARJ & FGDM:
 Competency Development
Families identify issues and skills that
need enhanced for successful changes to
take place.
Timing of FGDM:
Youth commits offense
↓
Youth charged by police & charges sent to Juvenile Probation Office
↓
Intake
↓
Family Group Conference and/or Court
↓
↓
Probation
Placement
↓
Family Group Conference
Strength Versus Deficit Practice:
 Strength based
 Deficit based
 Inclusive
 Restrictive
 Encourages family
 Gives advice
 Honest/open
 Secretive
 Team effort
 Individual effort
 Creative
 Controlling
 Culturally Sensitive
 Insensitive
 Individualized
 Cookie-cutter
Why FGDM Works:
 People are actively valued
“The conference helps make the kids aware that
their families are concerned.”
Dauphin County Mother
Why FGDM Works:
 Worker is no longer problem finder/advice
giver
 “You can achieve a whole lot and find out
things that you didn’t know before.”
Dauphin County
Grandmother
Why FGDM Works:
 Communicates in a language of “concerns”
 Strengthens families by harnessing their
commitment, wisdom and responsibility to
protect children and ensure well-being
In 2012 Juveniles were involved in:
 One out of 10 arrests for murder
 One in 4 arrests for Robbery, Burglary,
Larceny-Theft and Disorderly Conduct
 One in 5 arrests for Motor Vehicle Theft
A higher percentage of Juveniles are involved
in minor criminal behavior including,
Vandalism, Shoplifting, Underage Drinking,
and the use of Marijuana
Somewhere between 30
and 40 percent of all boys
growing up in an urbanized
area in the United States
will be arrested before their
th
18 birthday
Changing Families
 Today 24 million children are living in fatherless
homes
 More families consist of one parent households or
two working parents which means less supervision
at home
 Lack of parental supervision is thought to be an
influence on juvenile crime rate
 A parent who is involved in the criminal system
could greatly influence their own child's views on
delinquent behavior
Why FGDM Works (cont.):
 Counters isolation of at-risk families
 Better informed plans because of family
knowledge and expertise about themselves
 Enhances family’s feelings of
security, belonging, respect,
and understanding
 Simple and easy to understand
Why FGDM Works (cont.):
 Encourages collaboration between service
providers working with the family
 Provides a “similar” language between
family and agencies and among service
providers from different agencies
Why FGDM Works (cont.):
 Decreases burden on service providers and
balances power
 Creates an opportunity for families
to realize their potential in
caring for their youth
 Increases investment and
ownership of decisions
Steps of the Model
 Referral to hold FGDM meeting
 Planning and Preparation for meeting
Steps of the Model (cont.)
 Actual Meeting:
Introductions
 Purpose defined
 History provided
 Family tradition/Elder’s Report
 Identification of strengths
 Identification of concerns
 Additional resource options provided

Steps of the Model (cont.)
 Actual Meeting (cont.):
Share a meal
 Family private time/
development of plan
 Presentation of plan to
the probation officer
 Approval of plan by referring JPO
 Family tradition

Steps of the Model (cont.)
 Presentation of Plan to Court
 Carrying out the Plan
 Additional Meetings
“The more eyes, hands, and hearts
involved with a family, the safer the
child (and community).”
- Larry Graber
Comments From the Bench:
 What benefits does the Court see with FGDM?
 Why might a Court be interested in being involved
in the implementation process?
 What thoughts might you want
to consider in process to involve
Courts?
“This isn’t just what we should be
doing, it’s what we should have been
doing all along.”
Honorable Todd Hoover
Juvenile Dependency Judge
“The strength of Family Group
Conferencing is having the family join
in achieving a common goal. This is a
meaningful and worthwhile process.”
Honorable Richard Lewis
Dauphin County Delinquency Judge
When you help the family, you always help the child.
The powerful and innate pull to family (regardless
of that family’s level of dysfunction) never ends.
FGDM helps to reconcile that “pull” with a chance
for that family to possibly develop a healthy
template for identifying and solving the problems
that will keep coming in life, like we all experience.
If we see or feel resistance to FGDM we must step back
and honestly ask ourselves, do we fear giving up our
power?
Honorable Jolene Grubb Kopriva
President Judge, Blair County
Reactions & Questions?
 Thank You for Your Interest and
Investment in the Lives of Children, Youth,
Families and Communities !!
For More Information
A Partnership with:
Kids Peace 814-693-7708
Professional Family Care Services 814-255-9559 ext 100
Blair County Juvenile Probation 814-693-3230
Blair County Children, Youth and Families 814-693-3130