SERVICES

Family Group Conferences

At Circles we offer a complete service to local authorities and third sector organizations to support the development of Family Group Conferences.

Family Group Conferences were initially used in the early 1990s after their success in changing decision making processes for children and their families in New Zealand. This restorative approach to child safety and welfare has had a significant impact on how the state consults with and relates to children and their wider families - enabling them to recognize the power, influence and wisdom of family networks.

Family Group Conferences (FGCs) are recognised as an important part of strengthening relationships between staff and families, enabling families to make safe and appropriate decisions which in turn leads to better outcomes for children.

With nearly 20 years experience of implementing this process in a number of authorities across the country, Circles offers the following support:

Exploratory discussions about local and culturally appropriate implementation of FGCs in your area
Awareness raising FGC training for leaders and steering groups
Advice and support in recruiting appropriate staff
Guidance around policy and procedure implementation
Full FGC co-ordinator training
Ongoing practice guidance, supervision and advice
Training design and delivery for referrers and multi-agency professionals
Training for potential advocates attending FGCs

For an initial informal conversation about your needs, please contact us.

Communities &

Organizations

BUILDING RESTORATIVE ORGANISATIONS & COMMUNITIES

Restorative practice is the term to describe a way of behaving which helps to build and maintain healthy relationships, resolve difficulties and repair harm where there is conflict. The restorative approaches we use are rooted in relational theory principles of connection, interdependence, inclusivity and participation, aiming to create healthier organizational cultures.

These approaches include both formal and informal processes that enable us to communicate more effectively. They are used to focus on:

Understanding & removing barriers
Pro-actively promoting a sense of community
Encouraging social responsibility & shared accountability
Helping to build social capital.

The central idea being that healthy relationships require high levels of challenge as well as support. Rather than focusing solely on “techniques for positive communication”, the practice encourages us to reflect on “ways of being” when communicating and resolving difficulties.

At Circles, we provide a bespoke service to leadership teams, aimed at familiarising themselves with these practices and then co-design the work required to create change. Our training provides staff with a common language, reflection on behaviours and tools that strengthen relationships with clients, managers, and co-workers, empowering them to share responsibility and support positive change.

We work with organizations both big and small to create change programmes that are appropriate to your circumstances.

Please contact us for an informal chat.

EMBRACING CONFLICT AS NORMAL

At Circles we take a restorative approach to conflict resolution.

We recognize that conflict rarely affects just those people engaged within it. The impact of conflict is felt throughout organizations and communities at many different levels.

Our approach is to fully engage participants in the planning and preparation of a meeting that will enable everyone to have a safe space to listen and be heard. Grounded in Restorative Justice principles, these meetings focus upon hearing everyone’s view of what has happened, how they have been affected and what needs to happen to move forward. They are incredibly powerful processes which have overwhelmingly positive outcomes for all.

If you have conflictual relationships that are having a negative impact on your organization/community, please contact us.