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Family Group Conferences as empowerment practice:
some dilemmas and opportunities
Paul Nixon
Assistant Director
Children and Young People’s Service
2
Family Group Conferences
Process both ancient and new Sprang from disenfranchised communities Challenged the orthodoxy Remind us of the importance of families to
children
3
4
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
15
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
32
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
33
`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