In 2020, the Education and Children’s Services Act 2019 introduced family conferences as a voluntary means to support schools and families of students who are regularly absent from school or an approved learning program. The model for implementing this provision is called an “Education Family Conference”.

Education Family Conferences are family-led, restorative and strengths-based meetings that bring families and other professional supports together to enable the family to make a plan to ensure the student returns to school or participates in an approved form of learning.

Department for Education can refer a family to an Education Family Conference which are facilitated by an Independent Coordinator from the CAA Conferencing Unit.

The Coordinator will organise and facilitate the Education Family Conference, bringing together the student, the student’s family and supports, the social worker from Student Support Services or Aboriginal Services Engagement Officer, a delegate of the school (usually the Student Wellbeing Leader or person responsible for attendance in the school), a child advocate, other professionals who work with the family, cultural supports and language supports (if required).

Preparation:

Once the Coordinator has received the referral, they will prepare the participants, ensuring they know the purpose of the conference, values, and stages of the Education Family Conference.  They will also connect the student with the child advocate prior to the conference.

The Coordinator will arrange the venue (which can be anywhere other than a family home) and send out all the invites for the conference. 

The Education Family Conference meeting:

There are three parts to the meeting.

Part one: The Coordinator will facilitate discussion, ensuring all participants have had their chance to discuss concerns, views, and offers of support.  The child advocate will support the child to talk or represent their views.

Part two: The second stage is for the family to have private time to develop a plan for the student based on the views, concerns and offers of support raised.

Part three: The Coordinator brings, all participants back together to discuss the family’s plan. Everyone will have an opportunity to contribute to and agree to the plan. The plan must be focussed on the student returning to school or an approved learning program.

A date will be set to review the plan – usually about 8 to 12 weeks later. 

Review EFC meeting:

A review meeting, which much like the first is set out in the same three stages.

At the review meeting participants will review how the student is going, the success and challenges with the plan, what other supports might be needed and refine the plan if needed.