ABSTRACT
This study has evaluated the effect of involving parents in eighty three initial child protection conferences on the conference process, on the decisions and recommendations made and on the views and experiences of the professionals and families involved. Generally, the findings are positive but they also highlight the potential for conflict within the conference task and the trauma of the experience for the families. The parents prefer to be there than not, but there are limitations to the degree to which working in partnership with them is possible and to the extent to which the process could be described as empowering. The implications are that, wherever possible, other routes should be found for addressing the welfare needs of children and families; that, where a conference is held, the task, guidelines and procedures should be less ambiguous; and that other models for involving families in planning their child's protection should be tried. There are implications for how the conference should be run, for practice and for the agencies involved.
