Our Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) service has strengthened its approach to listening and supporting children, young people and families. The service has become an integral part of Intensive Social Work Services, supporting children, young people and families to build on their family’s assets to maintain family care.  

The FGDM service recognises that children are not always able to remain within their family. A core component is our commitment to support rehabilitation back to family care where possible and to promote and maintain important relationships when children and young people become care experienced.  

FGDM is a family-led decision-making process where a child and/or young person and their family and friends are supported and prepared to come together in a family meeting.

The key aim of the meeting is for the family to develop a plan which protects and supports the child and/or young person. Families find this process to be an inclusive, enabling, and empowering process, which places the child and/or young person and family at the centre of decision-making about plans for their children.  

FGDM in North Lanarkshire is committed to the FGDM National Standards for Scotland, with the following key principles: 

• FGDM is strength-based, future-focused and blame-free.  
• The focus is on the voice and safety of children and young people. 
• FGDM recognises that families are the experts in their own lives. 
• The FGDM Coordinator should always be independent of any other professional involvement with the family. 
• FGDM recognises the child’s and families right to be involved in their future planning.  
• Private family time is an essential element of Family Group Meeting. 

The Lifelong Links service aims to support care experienced children and young people to maintain or enhance a natural network of support.

A trained Lifelong Links coordinator engages with the young person to identify people who are important to them and seeks ways to establish or maintain connections with important people, which are often lost in the process of their care journey.

This can be anything from direct lifelong commitments or indirect answers to questions a child or young person may have about their life.