Case study: Family Group Decision Making Best Practice Guidance and Resources

Client: Department for Education (DfE)

Date: June – December 2025

Challenges faced by the client:

The DfE was looking to introduce a statutory duty for local authorities to offer Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) to families at the pre-proceedings stage, via the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. FGDM also forms an important part of the 'family networks' pillar of the Families First Pathfinder (FFP) reforms. To this end, the DfE had a requirement for a delivery partner to develop clear, practical support documents and resources for local authorities to implement FGDM consistently and safely. This Best Practice Support had to:

• Ensure the family-led ethos of FGDM remained front and centre to implementation advice.

• Remain model-agnostic to encourage innovation, whilst highlighting the existing evidence base underpinning the Family Group Conference (FGC) approach.

• Acknowledge and provide guidance on how to address complex safeguarding concerns, including domestic abuse and child sexual abuse, within FGDM processes.

• Ensure inclusive, culturally sensitive practice that empowers families and children while meeting statutory requirements.

Our support:

Mutual Ventures was commissioned to design and deliver the FGDM Best Practice Support and Resources, in partnership with Prof. Pete Marsh, Emeritus Professor of Child and Family Welfare at the University of Sheffield,  long-standing FGDM practitioner and co-design expert Tim Fisher, and subject matter experts from Daybreak. Our approach included:

Comprehensive stakeholder engagement:

• Engagement with 30 Experts by Experience (children, parents, and family network members). 

• Steering Group sessions, ongoing dialogue and feedback loop with sector leaders and subject matter experts.

• Local authority engagement:

• National survey reaching 63 local authorities.

• Roundtable with 68 participants.

• In-depth interviews with eight and further design discussion with a total of 14 local authorities.

• Interviews with safeguarding organisations and voluntary sector providers of FGDM services.

Collaborative co-design:

• Established Local Authority and Expert by Experience design groups to shape guidance content and resources.

• Incorporated lived experience into practical tools and “Real Voices by Real People” case examples.

Evidence-based development:

• Conducted a rapid evidence review and integrated insights from national and international research.

• Produced practical templates, checklists, and tools to support implementation.

Outcome achieved:

Mutual Ventures produced final Best Practice Support and Resources on schedule for ministerial clearance (December 2025). The final version of these are now available on Knowledge Hub.

The Best Practice Support and resources we developed provide:

• Clear definitions, principles, and standards for FGDM.

• Step-by-step process guidance for preparation, facilitation, and follow-up.

• Practical tools for cultural sensitivity, child participation, and safeguarding.

  
  

Through this work, the Mutual Ventures team achieved broad sector input, with positive feedback from local authorities, Experts by Experience, and safeguarding organisations. Additionally, the Mutual Ventures team also supported the DfE to implement legislative changes confidently, supporting a shift toward family-led decision-making and improved outcomes for children.

For more information on MV's work on developing FGDM Best Practice Support and Resources contact yvonne.reinhardt@mutualventures.co.uk.