Family Group Decision Making Facilitator

Central Bedfordshire Council; Shefford; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Central Bedfordshire Council is recruiting a Family Group Decision Making Facilitator to join the Family Meeting, Advocacy and Mediation Service. You will coordinate FGMs, engage families and partners, and support safe, family-led planning within the MACPT framework.

You will work in a hybrid role, attending CBC offices as needed, with a focus on safeguarding and empowering families to develop durable plans that protect children.

Qualifications

• Strong knowledge of child protection processes and safeguarding steps.
• Experience working with children, young people and families in complex situations.
• Experience in multi-agency safeguarding environments.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate and facilitate Family Group Conferences (FGCs) and Family Network Meetings.
• Engage children, families and wider networks to ensure their voices influence planning.
• Collaborate with social workers and safeguarding partners to deliver restorative, family-led practice.

Skills

Child protection knowledge

Multi-agency safeguarding

Facilitation

Mediation

Education

FGDM training

Job description

Team:Family Meeting, Advocacy and Mediation Service
Job Family:Supporting - CBG8
Salary:£32,046 - £34,968 per annum pro rata
Hours:37 hours per week
Location: You will be expected to attend a CBC office location as often as needed to carry out your role, which will be no less than once per month.
Contract Type:Hybrid - Permanent
Closing date: 17th November 2026
Interview date: 26th November 2026

Family Group Decision Making Facilitator

About the role:

Do you believe families are often key to finding solutions to the challenges they face? Are you passionate about safeguarding children while empowering families to make meaningful and lasting plans for their future?

As part of our commitment to the Families First child protection reforms, Family Meeting, Advocacy and Mediation Service (FAMs) is looking for an exceptional Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) Facilitator to join our team, working within the Multi-Agency Child Protection Team (MACPT).At the heart of our practice model is a commitment to Making Every Connection Count. We want every interaction, whether with a child, family member, practitioner or partner agency, to be purposeful, respectful and focused on achieving positive change.

The MACPT team will include dedicated support from police, health partners, substance misuse services and a Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) practitioner by bringing together expertise across agencies. We aim to identify risk earlier, strengthen family networks, reduce the need for statutory intervention where appropriate and improve outcomes for children.

This is an exciting opportunity to help shape a developing service at a pivotal point in our Families First transformation journey. We are looking for practitioners who are passionate about relationship-based practice, confident in providing support and challenge, and committed to working alongside partners and families to achieve lasting change.

As an FGDM Facilitator, you will ensure that children and families have a meaningful voice at critical points in their lives.Working closely with social workers, the MACPT and wider safeguarding partners, you will coordinate and facilitate Family Group Conferences (FGCs), Family Network Meetings and other family meetings where there may be significant safeguarding concerns.

You will work independently from direct investigation and case decision-making, providing an impartial process that enables families and their wider networks to identify their strengths, explore available support and develop their own robust and realistic plans to promote the safety and wellbeing of their children. You will build trust, navigate complex family dynamics and manage sensitive situations, while ensuring the child's voice remains central throughout.

What You'll Be Doing

• Coordinating and facilitating high-quality Family Group Conferences, Family Network Meetings and other family meetings.
• Engaging children, young people and wider family networks so their voices genuinely influence planning and decision-making.
• Working collaboratively with the MACPT, social workers and wider safeguarding partners.
• Preparing families and professionals for meetings and building confidence in the FGDM process.
• Supporting families to identify their strengths, resources and wider networks of support.
• Facilitating difficult conversations and managing conflict with confidence, sensitivity and impartiality.
• Supporting families to develop their own safe, realistic and achievable plans for their children.
• Championing restorative, strengths-based, relational and child-centred practice.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for a confident and compassionate practitioner who can build meaningful relationships, inspire trust and navigate complexity while maintaining professional independence.

You will have:

• Strong knowledge and understanding of child protection processes, safeguarding and statutory social work intervention.
• Experience of working with children, young people and families facing complex circumstances.
• Experience of working effectively within a multi-agency safeguarding environment.
• A good understanding of Family Group Decision Making principles and processes.
• Excellent communication, engagement, facilitation, negotiation and mediation skills.
• The ability to manage conflict, challenge appropriately and facilitate difficult or highly sensitive conversations.
• Strong organisational and planning skills.
• The confidence to work independently while maintaining effective professional partnerships.
• A genuine commitment to restorative, strengths-based and child-centred practice.

Accredited Family Group Conference training and/or significant experience of facilitating FGCs would be highly advantageous. Training will be provided for the right candidate.

Why Join FAMs?

At FAMs, we believe families are experts in their own lives and that lasting change is more likely when children and families are genuinely involved in creating the solutions.

As a dedicated FGDM Facilitator working alongside the MACPT, you will have the opportunity to:

• Make a meaningful difference by ensuring children and families have a genuine voice in decisions that affect their lives.
• Work with independence, facilitating an impartial family-led process separate from direct statutory investigation and assessment.
• Strengthen family networks, helping families identify and mobilise support around their children.
• Champion restorative practice through a progressive, strengths-based and relational approach.
• Shape developing practice as part of innovative approaches to family-led safeguarding and child protection.
• Develop professionally, with ongoing learning, supervision and opportunities to further develop your facilitation and mediation skills.

Ready to Make an Impact?

Our aspiration is to be a truly flexible employer. We welcome discussion on location, hours and working pattern as part of the application process.

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You will be expected to demonstrate how you meet the key accountabilities and competencies in this Recruitment Pack .

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Safeguarding:

Central Bedfordshire Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, volunteers and contractors to share this commitment.This post is subject to the disclosure of criminal records.

To maintain a fair and consistent approach for applicants,it isCentral Bedfordshire Council'spolicy to only consider applications madevia our online applicationsystem and we therefore thank you for not submitting your application offline.

Your application to us is a reflection of who you are professionally and should give us an accurate and authentic picture of your skills, experiences and if applicable qualifications. Before you submit your application, we will ask you to confirm if you have used AI.

All new starters will join us on a four ‑ month probationary period. During this time, if you are offered a Hybrid role you will be required to attend a Central Bedfordshire Council office location more frequently to support thorough and well ‑ supported onboarding into your role. Please keep this in mind if you anticipate extensive travel to Central Bedfordshire.

Please note we are unable to offer sponsorship for our roles. Successful applicants that may require a visa will need to consider the options for obtaining and/or maintaining the legal right to live and work in the UK for the duration of the contract offered.

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