Family Group Connections

Developed and delivered by Birmingham Children’s Trust, the Family Group Connections Service offers Family Led Decision Making (FLDM) as an effective approach to keep children living safely within their families.

Families and professionals are brought together to create clear, workable plans that protect children and reduce the need for care proceedings or family separation. When families facing safeguarding concerns and are genuinely involved in shaping the plan, outcomes improve.

Family Led Decision Making replaces conflict with collaboration, giving families the structure, time and support they need and want, to take responsibility for change.

What Family Group Connections delivers

Family Group Connections provides a structured process led by trained, independent facilitators, typically taking place over four to six weeks. This includes preparation work with families and professionals, a facilitated conference, private family planning time, and a formally agreed plan that meets safeguarding requirements. Families are then offered follow-up reviews to monitor progress and sustain momentum.

The approach creates space for families to draw on their own networks, identify solutions early and build plans that are realistic, owned and more likely to last. It can be used at key points in decision-making, including early help, safeguarding and preproceedings, helping to prevent escalation wherever it is safe to do so.

Working with local authorities

Our support can range from individual workforce training and mentoring through to full service-development support, including accreditation pathways, operational guidance and embedding sustainable practice models.

If you are looking to expand your early-help offer, strengthen family-led planning, or build capacity within your workforce, we would be happy to share our learning and explore how we could support you to develop a Family Group Connections approach that works within your local context.

Evidence it works

Evidence shows that children and their families feel more heard, respected and engaged in decision-making. At the same time, professionals benefit from stronger plans, better follow-through and reduced escalation into adversarial processes. This creates a more stable foundation for safeguarding, with the child’s voice kept firmly at the centre.

As the Service has grown, we have supported other local authorities to strengthen and embed their own Family Group Connections services through training, mentoring and service development support.

Hear Trudy’s experiences working with Birmingham Children’s Trust.

How can we help?

If you feel a conversation would be helpful, please contact us, in confidence, via the email address below.

We welcome the opportunity to explore how we could support you.