Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
Monitor and report on family group decision-making impact, considering extension to earlier stages.
Conclusion
We welcome the Department’s commitment to working with domestic abuse charities when developing its guidance for family group decision-making (FGDM). The Department should monitor the impact of the new requirement and, after one year, report back to this Committee as to whether FGDM should be extended to an earlier stage as well as to family reunification. (Recommendation, Paragraph 21)
Government Response Summary
The government commits to continue developing best practice guidance for Family Group Decision-Making (FGDM) and to monitor its impact through the Families First Partnership Programme's oversight arrangements and annual local authority data collection after the new legal duty commences.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
We will continue to develop best practice guidance with specialist organisations to ensure FGDM is used safely with families with domestic abuse, including risk mitigations and identifying when FGDM should not be offered. We agree that it is important to monitor the impact of FGDM legislation. FGDM is a core part of the Families First Partnership Programme (FFPP) which is transforming the whole system of help, support and protection for children and families. The FFPP guide already sets out the expectation that local authorities “offer FGDM through family help, multi-agency child protection and care and consider offering FGDM at every decision point, including at the point of reunification.”7 7 Families First Partnership programme–GOV.UK The FFPP includes proportionate oversight and monitoring arrangements to enable government to understand delivery progress and impact, whilst not impeding local delivery. This will enable the department to review the impact of FGDM after the commencement of the new legal duty. Further monitoring will be supported through annual local authority data collection, which will allow us to track compliance with the FGDM duty. We recognise the importance of family networks in smoothing the reunification transition for a child. There is already a statutory and regulatory expectation that family members should be consulted at reunification. Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) states local authorities should consider whether FGDM would support transition home from care, and the role the family network could play in supporting this.