Community Conferencing

What is Community Conferencing? 

• Community conferencing takes the same principles of Family Networking but from a community context. 
• Linking with Social Care, Community & Partnerships and external partners. 
• Identifies opportunities to enable children, families and communities to lead on initiatives to engage and promote the networking approach within their communities. 
• A highly participatory and voluntary meeting that allows people and communities to solve their own issues and conflicts safely and in their own community. 

Why is this area of work important? What do we need to know? 

• To help support issues within communities from things like sufficiency of facilities, provision of childcare and support for families to more acute issues such as antisocial behaviour and concerns about higher risk incidents. 

What is the National and Norfolk picture? 

• Restorative practices - taking time to bring together communities where there are some issues and working on restorative approaches to make A formal meeting where people affected by an incident that harmed people or relationships come together. 

How does it work? What are the principles? What are the benefits? Key functions? What might this mean in practice? What difference do the process or team hope to make? 

• Participants are brought together, information and opinions are shared, resources and volunteers are identified, and goals and action plans are set and assigned. 
• Ensuring that everyone is heard, understood and included in the decision-making processes at a personal and community level   
• Allowing others to reflect on what has happened for relationships to breakdown and how to rebuild that relationship by doing things differently the next time.   
• Healing, Understanding, listening, questioning, support and solution focused circles are all ways of engaging with community and developing collective and individual responsibility.   

Who can benefit from the Community Conferencing? Signs to be aware of/Risk indicators.  

• Builds community skills in conflict resolution and participatory decision making. 
• All community areas, businesses, schools and agencies.  
• Anti-social behaviour in community areas. 
• Noise pollution. 
• People feeling threatened or intimidated.  

How can you help CYP? What should schools/settings do? What should all partner agencies, Schools, settings and families do?  

• Start by contacting our service for advice and guidance. 
• We can then engage with you and look at the next steps in supporting you. 
• Look at the route we need to take to resolve the situation that has been brought to our attention.  

What support is available locally and nationally? 

• There are several trained community conference facilitators from across various teams within Children's Services and the lead for community conferencing is now held by the Family Group Conference and Family Networking Advisory Service.  

If you have any questions or further discussion, please contact the mailbox  communityconferencing@norfolk.gov.uk 

How to refer 

Email in to communityconferencing@norfolk.gov.uk 

Speak to your Family Group Conference and Family Network Advisor who is assigned to your school.