Colleagues from across the children’s services sector are invited to join a virtual learning café run by the Youth Endowment Fund. This is part of our Evidence in Practice series, which sits alongside our Toolkit giving you opportunity to hear from experts on Family Group Conferencing as an effective intervention for children and their families – including those affected by violence.

We will be joined by:

Sophie Wood, Cardiff University

Sophie is a Research Associate at the Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre, Cardiff University. Her expertise lies in mixed-methods research, particularly in analysing large administrative data and evaluating complex interventions. Her current focus is on a comprehensive UK-based evaluation to understand how mechanisms and contextual factors influence the effectiveness of family group conferences

Sophie will be telling us about the Family Voice project she led on which produced a UK-wide survey of Family Group Conference provision.

Cathy Ashley OBE, Family Rights Group

Cathy has served as Chief Executive of Family Rights Group since 2004. The charity’s mission is to create a more socially just society in which the child welfare and family justice systems support children to live safely and thrive within their family, while strengthening the family and community networks of those children who cannot live at home. Family Rights Group campaigns for families to have a voice, be treated fairly and get help early enough to prevent problems escalating. The charity uniquely combines legal and social work expertise, advice giving, policy expertise, and direct work with families.