News
Service in running for prestigious award
Monday 25 April 2011
A CHILDREN 1ST service based in Annan has been announced as a finalist in the Care Accolade 2011 awards, which are organised by the Scottish Social Services Council.
The Dumfries and Galloway Family Group Conferencing service has been selected as a finalist in the ‘Working Together, Working Better’ category, with the winner being announced at a ceremony in Paisley on 3 June. The Care Accolades celebrate and promote the very best of good practice and workforce development in social services and recognises exceptional achievements within the sector.
The CHILDREN 1ST Family Group Conferencing (FGC) service bring families and professionals together where there are concerns about a child or they are at risk of being taken into care.
Fiona McBride, Service Manager, explains:
“Through our FGC service, we help families find solutions to their issues and ensure the best outcomes for children. This involves talking to the wider family and giving them input into what they think is best for the child. It may be that someone in the wider family is able to care for the child so they don’t have to into care, which is usually a much better option.
“Making it through to the final of the Care Accolades is a great achievement and we’re already very proud – although we’ll all have our fingers crossed that we win the award.”
The FGC model has been formally adopted by Dumfries and Galloway Council as part of their procedures in relation to child protection. The service has contributed to a decrease in the length of child protection registrations and has lowered the number of children being placed into care by meaningfully engaging families in planning for the future of children and young people.
Bryan Evans, Assistant Director of CHILDREN 1ST services, added:
“The Dumfries and Galloway FGC service thoroughly deserve this recognition. The team there work closely with families in the area and so many children have benefitted as a result.”
Last updated: Tuesday 26 April 2011
