Consultancy and Project Management

Barnardo’s team of managers, co-ordinators and advocates in the South West has run over 400 family group conferences during the past seven years. Based on this foundation of experience and expertise we can offer consultation, advice and support in setting up and maintaining family group conference services.

This can include:

• working out the most appropriate model to meet your needs
• presentations to steering groups, senior managers and funding partners
• awareness raising training for social workers or multi-agency staff help with budgets and costings
• selection, training and support of staff

Project management

Hilary Horan is the Children's Services Manager for the Regional Family Group Conference and Advocacy Service. Since 1996 she has acted as a consultant and trainer for over 20 local authorities and organizations throughout the UK including the Shakti Imani Inclusion Project in Bristol and Gloucester Family Group Conference Project. She has set up and managed family group conference projects within education, youth justice and child welfare settings. In 2003 Hilary was a key note speaker at the Family Rights Group Leicester Conference on ‘Getting Children’s Voices Heard in Family Group Conferences’, and presented a paper called ‘The Child’s Voice in the Family Group Conference Process’ for the American Humane Association in Minneapolis. This year Hilary facilitated a skills building day for the American Humane Association Conference in Pennsylvania entitled ‘From theory to practice – empowering young people to participate in Family Group Decision Making’. Hilary previously worked as a Guardian ad Litem and as an Independent Chair of Child Protection Conferences for five years chairing over 700 child protection conferences.

Download Hilary’s article Promoting the Participation Rights of Children and Young People in Family Group Conferences (76kb .pdf file)

Richard Chalmers has worked as a family group conference co-ordinator and advocate for 6 years. He is one of the most experienced co-ordinators in the UK. Richard set up and manages a family group conference project and has considerable experience of training new co-ordinators.

Dr Jane Dalrymple works for the University of the West of England and has written and researched extensively on the subject of advocacy. She has set up and run advocacy projects and facilitated numerous courses.

Janet Byrne Goddard has been the Children's Services Manager for Wiltshire’s Family Group Conference and Advocacy Service for nearly two years. She has five years experience of working as a co-ordinator and advocate. Janet previously worked in a child health team and specializes in advocacy with disabled children.