In: Academic murals: Social work research exemplars. MASW reports 2015 (pp. 426-468), edited by Blake Gardiner, Shirley Jülich and Kathryn Hay

"Introduced by statute in 1989, family group conferences (FGCs) revolutionised care and protection proceedings positioning family and whānau as key partners in the decision-making process. Little has been done since this time to evaluate this process and consider the extent to which it fulfils this empowerment potential. This qualitative research project seeks to critically engage with the FGC model from a professional perspective and explores the extent to which it is an empowering process, which enables and supports families to develop their own solutions to child protection concerns. The data was gleaned from semi-structured interviews with four social workers that have experience of FGCs; their responses were then analysed thematically. The findings indicate that FGCs must be resourced adequately and backed up with a greater organisational commitment to social work engagement and negotiation to be a genuinely inclusive and consultative process that is both meaningful for families and capable of safeguarding the welfare of vulnerable children." (Author's abstract).

This research report is included in the 2015 MASW research reports monograph. "This monograph has come about due to our reflections that the research undertaken by many of the Master of Applied Social Work (MASW) students is excellent and perhaps of considerable interest to others. Therefore, we decided to collate some of the best research reports from 2015 into a monograph which would enhance accessibility for those interested in the topics and future students seeking inspiration. (From the editors' introduction). Record #5630