No evidence that family group decision-making is better, or worse, than conventional child protection procedures. 

Family group decision-making is used to make decisions about how best to protect children, and support families. It engages the family, extended family, and people in the community around the family, in these decisions. It features an independent meeting facilitator, private family time away from professionals and the prioritisation of family plans. This review finds that the evidence base supporting this approach is of poor quality with no clear finding that it is any better or worse than conventional approaches. 

What is this review about?

Child maltreatment is a global problem which can affect victims’ health and well-being throughout their life. Debate continues as to effective systems of detection, investigation and intervention for maltreated children. This review assesses the effectiveness of the formal use of family group decision-making in terms of child safety, permanence (of child’s living situation), child and family well-being, and client satisfaction with the decision-making process.