Voice, power and discourse: Experiences of participants in family group conferences in the context of child protection

This qualitative study drew on interviews with families, child protection workers and coordinators to examine what happens when family group conferencing, a participatory, family-led process, takes place inside the bureaucratic child protection system. Families’ voices were often overridden by the system’s legal and bureaucratic priorities, even in cases workers considered successful. The authors argue that awareness of these power dynamics and reflective practice can help family group conferencing keep its social justice and transformative goals.