ABSTRACT
The philosophy and practice of family group conferences reflect basic principles of "good" child and family welfare practice. This chapter discusses a case study, selected principles common to both child and family welfare services and family group conferences and similarities with permanency planning and family preservation approaches. Family group conferencing reflects a range of principles used to guide families through the process of making and implementing critical decisions affecting their children and other family members, as well as the functioning of the family unit as a whole. The growing use of family group conferencing as a tool with certain families in diverse practice settings builds in basic child welfare principles and social work values. As with social work practice in general, empowerment is a key value in family group conferencing. Another prominent value is respect for human diversity, such as culture, race, ethnicity, and sexual preference.
