Community conferencing
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What is community conferencing?
- Community conferencing takes the same principles of Family Networking but from a community context.
- Links with Social Care, Community & Partnerships and external partners.
- Identifies opportunities to enable children, families and communities to lead on initiatives to engage and promote the networking approach within their communities.
- A highly participatory and voluntary meeting that allows people and communities to solve their own issues and conflicts safely and in their own community.
Why is this area of work important?
- To help support issues within communities, from things like sufficiency of facilities, provision of childcare and support for families to more acute issues such as antisocial behaviour and concerns about higher risk incidents.
What is the national and Norfolk picture?
- Restorative practices - Taking time to bring together communities where there are some issues and working on restorative approaches to make a formal meeting where people affected by an incident that harmed people or relationships come together.
How does it work?
- Principles and benefits: Participants are brought together, information and opinions are shared, resources and volunteers are identified, and goals and action plans are set and assigned.
- Key functions: Ensuring that everyone is heard, understood and included in the decision-making processes at a personal and community level
- What this means in practice: Allowing others to reflect on what has happened for relationships to breakdown and how to rebuild that relationship by doing things differently the next time.
- What difference the process or team hopes to make: Healing, understanding, listening, questioning, support and solution focused circles are all ways of engaging with community and developing collective and individual responsibility.
Who can benefit from community conferencing?
- All community areas, businesses, schools and agencies
- Builds community skills in conflict resolution and participatory decision making
Signs to be aware of and risk indicators
- Anti-social behaviour in community areas
- Noise pollution
- People feeling threatened or intimidated
How can you help children and young people (CYP)?
What all partner agencies, schools, settings and families should do:
- Start by contacting our service for advice and guidance
- We can then engage with you and look at the next steps in supporting you
- Look at the route we need to take to resolve the situation that has been brought to our attention
What support is available locally and nationally?
- There are several trained community conference facilitators from across various teams within Children's Services. The lead for community conferencing is now held by the Family Group Conference and Family Networking Advisory Service.
If you have any questions or want further discussion, please contact [email protected].
How to refer
Email referrals to [email protected].
Speak to your Family Group Conference and Family Network Advisor who is assigned to your school.
