Disrupting Family Group Conference practice in Aotearoa New Zealand: A learning project

Raewyn Nordstrom,Deb Stanfield

doi:10.11157/anzswj-vol33iss4id916

Abstract

Participation in, or facilitation of, Family Group Conferences (FGCs) and hui-ā-whānau (family meetings) are key social work practice activities in Aotearoa New Zealand. Social work students are expected to graduate with the cultural competence necessary to work ethically with whānau Māori according to the bicultural practice principles of Te Tiriti ō Waitangi. This competence includes skills in the facilitation of joint decision making, shared responsibility and the use of Māori engagement principles, all of which are fundamental to the traditional and professional practice of hui (meetings).We argue that, for social work students to enter the profession with the ability to work effectively in a statutory setting, and with whānau Māori, learning must go beyond the processes of the FGC as set out in the Oranga Tamariki Act (1989)—originally the Children, Young Personsand Their Families Act, 1989—and embrace the historical and cultural intent of this practice. It must encourage students to be mindful of their cultural selves in the process and to reflect on the tensions arising from how the FGC sits within a statutory, managerial, and neoliberal policy framework. This article applies concepts of Māori and Western pedagogy to a learning strategy developed by the authors over a period of four years. The Reality FGC Project began as a way of assisting students to develop skills and apply theory to practice, and unexpectedly became an opportunity to reflexively and iteratively consider the role of social work education in re-thinking FGC practice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Highlights

We argue that, for social work students to enter the profession with the ability to work effectively in a statutory setting, and with whanau Maori, learning must go beyond the processes of the Family Group Conferences (FGCs) as set out in the Oranga Tamariki Act (1989)—originally the Children, Young Persons and Their Families Act, 1989—and embrace the historical and cultural intent of this practice
Deb Stanfield is a social worker with child protection, social work education and supervision experience in Aotearoa New Zealand
Regardless of the context of their work, social workers and other human service professionals are frequently involved as professional members of FGCs; it can be a complex process, often emotionally fraught, and its success depends on a high level of professional skill and understanding

Summary

Introducing the authors

Raewyn Nordstrom facilitated the first Family Group Conference (FGC) in Aotearoa New Zealand after the Oranga Tamariki Act The FGC is promoted as a whānau-led, decision-making forum inspired by the concept of whānau rangatiratanga (whānau decision-making and voice) and reflecting traditional Māori whānau problem-solving methods It was formally incorporated in the OT Act (1989) as a direct response. Raewyn comments on the challenges for wahine Māori (Māori women) in this role and the “creative native disrupting” skills needed to assert the rights and needs of mokopuna and whānau Her stories highlight her role in providing consistency for whānau and her colleagues over the many social, legislative, policy and management changes of the last three decades

Context and rationale

Learning principles

The learning partnership

Summary