Family Group Decision-Making is designed to protect children at risk of abuse and neglect in a culturally-sensitive and family-centered way. This initiative assists families to create a plan to address safety concerns within their family network and offers long-term help to carry out their safety plan for up to a year. Families and trained professionals meet together to define clearly the conditions that have put their children at risk and to mobilize a group that will help implement their plan. The program encourages families to strengthen their support system and, when necessary, to build bridges among family members and with the community so family resources and support are utilized effectively. "Family" is defined as immediate and extended family members and fictive kin; it may also include neighbors, friends, godparents, or anyone who has a significant relationship with either the child or parent.

Family Group Decision-Making utilizes a coordinator who assists the family in identifying family, kin and supportive professionals who are interested in being part of a long-term plan to assure safety in the family. Through the work of the coordinator, a family group conference is arranged where all interested parties gather to share ideas. The referring worker and other professionals first present their safety concerns for the children and outline expectations for safe outcomes. Following that presentation, the family is afforded private time to work out a plan that addresses the safety needs, outlines a crisis plan, and creates contingency plans which will be activated if needed. Because family members make the decisions on how the children will be kept safe and have primary responsibility in that goal, they control the outcome of the plan.

Once a family plan is created and approved by the referring worker, the case is transferred to an advocate who assists the family to implement the plan. The work of the advocate is flexible, but ultimately is geared toward helping the family keep the plan working, fine-tuning it if necessary so that it is incorporated in the family's life in a seamless and natural way. The work of the advocate may involve assisting the family to acquire resources or assistance with concrete needs, amending or updating safety plans, and keeping key family members involved and informed on emerging issues. The advocate's work with the family may last up to one year following approval of the family plan.

The program was piloted in Michigan in 1999 through 2001 and became a regular part of the array of family preservation services in 2003. In 2007, 92 percent of the families who completed the program had their children in remain in their care at the close of services.

FGDM is based on the following beliefs:

• Families are capable of making responsible decisions regarding their children's safety.
• Families can, with support, care for and protect their children.
• Families feel more invested in the outcomes when they make the decisions regarding the care of their children.

Program Eligibility:

• Families with substantiated abuse/neglect (CPS categories I, II and III).
• Youth aging out of the foster care system.
• Adoptive families at risk of disruption or dissolution.

This program is available in the following counties:

• Charlevoix
• Emmet
• Mackinac
• Cheboygan
• Grand Traverse
• Leelanau
• Benzie
• Manistee
• Muskegon
• Kent
• Washtenaw
• Livingston
• Shiawassee
• Wayne
• Ingham
• Gratiot
• Clinton
• Oakland
• St. Clair

For more information on community-based programming, please contact your county's Department of Human Services, or contact the Community Support Division based in Lansing at (517) 335-6080.