The process starts with a referral being made to the local family group conference service. Local services have different referral criteria, often dependent upon funding priorities. In most areas it is the adults social worker who is most likely to make a referral, but it could be other professionals such as the adults GP or families can refer themselves.

For a referral to be made the following will need to be met:

• There are concerns about a adults welfare that meet the criteria set up the local family group conference service

• A parent or carer with parental responsibility or a young person aged 16 or 17 year old with sufficient maturity agrees the referral and to the sharing of information.

Whether or not a family group conference takes place is a decision made by the family. Under no circumstances can a family be made or forced to have a family group conference.

Once a referral to the local family group conference project is made, the project allocates a co-ordinator to the family.

The co-ordinator helps the family to plan the meeting and chair the meeting. The co-ordinator is different from the referrer and acts as a neutral person. The co-ordinator will not influence the family to make a particular decision but will help them to think about the decisions that need to be made. Families should be offered the opportunity to request a co-ordinator who suitably reflects their ethnicity, language, religion or gender, and the family’s request should be accommodated wherever possible.

As an example click here for Camden's Family Group Conference adults referral form.