Is Family Group Conferencing a Culturally Adequate Method outside the Origin of New Zealand? A Systematic Review

Reidunn Håøy Nygård; Merete Saus

doi:10.1921/swssr.v20i1.1164

Authors

Reidunn Håøy Nygård UiT - The Arctic Univerity of Norway RKBU North (Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare)
Merete Saus UiT - The arctic University of Norway RKBU North (Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1921/swssr.v20i1.1164

Abstract

It is generally assumed that Family Group Conference (FGC) is a culturally adequate method for social work in indigenous communities. In this meta-synthesis, we question this assumption. Through systematic and strategic searches, we explored the existing trends of FGC research in indigenous contexts. We have included 26 articles are included in the literature review. Our analyses reveal that there is a tendency towards taking the cultural adequacy of FGC for granted. A few researchers question these assumptions, and debate tokenism and colonialism in social work. We argue that implementing FGC in new communities requires foundation in local, cultural context.

References

Anaya, J. S. (2004). Indigenous Peoples in International Law. Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Atkins, S., Lewin, S., Smith, H., Engel, M., Fretheim, A., & Volmink, J. (2008). Conducting a meta-ethnography of qualitative literature: lessons learnt. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 8, 21. doi:10.1186/1471-2288-8-21

Backe-Hansen, E. (2006). Hvordan virker familieråd? Et internasjonalt perspektiv [How does the family group conference work? An international perspective]. In S. Falck (Ed.), Hva er det med familieråd? Samlerapporter fra prosjektet: "Nasjonal satsing for utprøving og evaluering av familieråd i Norge" [What is it about family group conferences? Collected reports from the project: "National initiative to improve and evaluate family group conferences in Norway"]. Oslo, Norway: NOVA.

Baltra-Ulloa, A. J. (2013). Why decolonized social work is more than cross-culturalism. In M. Gray, J. Coates, M. Yellow Bird, & T. Hetherington (Eds.), Decolonizing Social Work (pp. 87-104). England, USA: Ashgate Publishing Company.

Ban, P. (2005). Aboriginal Child Placement Principle and Family Group Conferences. Australian Social Work, 58, 384-394. doi:10.1111/j.1447-0748.2005.00234.x

Barn, R., & Das, C. (2016). Family Group Conferences and Cultural Competence in Social Work. The British Journal of Social Work, 46, 942-959. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcu105

Barnett-Page, E., & Thomas, J. (2009). Methods for the synthesis of qualitative research: a critical review. BMC Medical Research Methodology, 9, 59. doi:10.1186/1471-2288-9-59

Belone, C., Gonzalez-Santin, E., Gustavsson, N., MacEachron, A. E., & Perry, T. (2002). Social services: the Navajo way. Child Welfare, 81, 773-790.

Bennett, B., Zubrzycki, J., & Bacon, V. (2011). What Do We Know? The Experiences of Social Workers Working alongside Aboriginal People. Australian Social Work, 64, 20-37. doi:10.1080/0312407X.2010.511677

Bennett, M., & Blackstock, C. (2002). A Litterature Review and Annatoted Bibliography Focusing on Aspects of Aboriginal Child Welfare in Canada. Canada: Centre of Excellence for Child Welfare.

Béteille, A. (1998). The idea of indigenous people. Current Anthropology, 39, 187-191. doi:10.1086/204717

Blaikie, N. (2010). Designing Social Research (2nd ed.). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Polity Press.

Brooks, S. L., & Ronen, Y. (2006). The notion of interdependence and its implications for child and family policy. Journal of Feminist Family Therapy, 17, 23-46. doi:10.1300/J086v17n03_02

Brown, L. (2003). Mainstream or margin? The current use of family group conferences in child welfare practice in the UK. Child & Family Social Work, 8, 331-340. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2206.2003.00293.x

Burford, G., & Hudson, J. (2000). General introduction: Family group conferencing programming. In G. Burford & J. Hudson (Eds.), Family group conferencing - New directions in community-centred child & family practice. New York, New York: Transaction Publishers.

Carter, V. B. (2010). Factors predicting placement of urban American Indian/Alaskan Natives into out-of-home care. Children and Youth Services Review, 32, 657-663. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.12.013

Chand, A., & Thoburn, J. (2005). Research review: Child and family support services with minority ethnic families: What can we learn from research? Child and Family Social Work, 10, 169-178. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2005.00367.x

Church Ii, W. T., Gross, E. R., & Baldwin, J. (2005). Maybe ignorance is not always bliss: The disparate treatment of Hispanics within the child welfare system. Children and Youth Services Review, 27, 1279-1292. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2005.01.003

Cohen, A. J., & Gershon, I. (2015). When the State Tries to See Like a Family: Cultural Pluralism and the Family Group Conference in New Zealand. PoLAR: Political and Legal Anthropology Review, 38, 9-29. doi:10.1111/plar.12084

Connolly, M. (2009). Family group conferences in child welfare: the fit with restorative justice. Contemporary Justice Review, 12, 309-319. doi:10.1080/10282580903105822

Connolly, M., & McKenzie, M. (1999). Effective Participatory Practice: Family Group Conferencing in Child Welfare. New York, New York: Adeline de Gruyter.

Crampton, D., & Jackson, W. L. (2007). Family Group Decision Making and Disproportionality in Foster Care: A Case Study. Child Welfare, 86, 51-69. doi:17722681

Drywater-Whitekiller, V. (2014). Family Group Conferencing: An Indigenous Practice Approach to Compliance With the Indian Child Welfare Act. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 8, 260-278. doi:10.1080/15548732.2014.907102

Duran, E., & Duran, B. (1995). Native American postcolonial psychology. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.

Duran, E., Firehammer, J., & Gonzalez, J. (2008). Liberation psychology as the path toward healing cultural soul wounds. Journal of Counseling and Development: JCD, 86, 288-295. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2008.tb00511.x

Eidheim, H. (1970). When ethnic identity is a social stigma. Oslo, Norway: Univeritetsforlaget, c1969.

Evans-Campbell, T. (2008). Historical Trauma in American Indian/Native Alaska Communities: A Multilevel Framework for Exploring Impacts on Individuals, Families, and Communities. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 23, 316-338. doi:10.1177/0886260507312290

Fisher-Borne, M., Cain, J. M., & Martin, S. L. (2015). From mastery to accountability: Cultural humility as an alternative to cultural competence. Social Work Education, 34, 165-181. doi:10.1080/02615479.2014.977244

Foronda, C. L. (2008). A Concept Analysis of Cultural Sensitivity. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 19, 207-212. doi:10.1177/1043659608317093

Frost, N., Abram, F., & Burgess, H. (2014). Family group conferences: context, process and ways forward. Child & Family Social Work, 19, 480-490. doi:10.1111/cfs.12047

Fulcher, L. C. (2001). Cultural Safety: Lessons From Maori Wisdom. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 10, 153-157.

Gavrielides, T. (2014). Bringing Race Relations Into the Restorative Justice Debate: An Alternative and Personalized Vision of 'the Other'. Journal of Black Studies, 45, 216-246. doi:10.1177/0021934714526042

Gilbert, A. (2013). Community-Based Child Care in Ethiopia vs. the Individual Centered Model in the United States: A Closer Examination of Family Group Decision Making in Child Placement. Children's Legal Rights Journal, 33, 348-376.

Godinet, M. T., Arnsberger, P., Li, F., & Kreif, T. (2010). Disproportionality, Ohana Conferencing, and the Hawai'i Child Welfare System. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 4, 387-405. doi:10.1080/15548732.2010.526898

Gray, M., Coates, J., & Hetherington, T. (2007). Hearing indigenous voices in mainstream social work. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 88, 55-66.

Gustafson, J. L. (2008). Tokenism in policing: An empirical test of Kanter's hypothesis. Journal of Criminal Justice, 36, 1-10. doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2007.12.001

Hart, M. A. (2010). Indigenous Worldviews, Knowledge, and Research: The Development of an Indigenous Research Paradigm. Indigenous Voices in Social Work, 1, 1-16. doi:10125/15117

Havnen, K. J. S., & Christiansen, Ø. (2014). Knowledge Review on Family Group Conferencing. Bergen, Norway: Uni Research.

Henriksen, J. E. (2004a). Den samiske storfamilien i et nettverksperspektiv [The Sami extended family from a network-based perspective]. In I. M. Tronvoll, A. Moe, & J. E. Henriksen (Eds.), Hjelp i kontekst [Help in context]. Otta, Norway: Idut.

Henriksen, J. E. (2004b). Det kultur-kontekstuelle nettverksdiagrammet som redskap i familieråd og nettverksarbeid [The culture-contextual network diagram as a tool in family group conferencing and network work].

In I. M. Tronvoll, A. Moe, & J. E. Henriksen (Eds.), Hjelp i kontekst [Help in context]. Otta, Norway: Idut.

Herring, S., Spangaro, J., Lauw, M., & McNamara, L. (2013). The Intersection of Trauma, Racism, and Cultural Competence in Effective Work with Aboriginal People: Waiting for Trust. Australian Social Work, 66, 104-117. doi:10.1080/0312407X.2012.697566

Herzberg, L. (2013). Shared decision-making: a voice for the Lakota people. Child & Family Social Work, 18, 477-486. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2012.00867.x

Hill, L. F. (2005). Family Group Conferencing: An Alternative Approach to the Placement of Alaska Native Children under the Indian Child Welfare Act. Alaskan Law Review, 22, 89-112.

Holkup, P. A., Salois, E. M., Tripp-Reimer, T., & Weinert, C. (2007). Drawing on Wisdom From the Past: An Elder Abuse Intervention With Tribal Communities. Gerontologist, 47, 248-254. doi:10.1093/geront/47.2.248

Hollis-English, A. N. R. (2012). Māori Social Workers: Experiences within Social Service Organisations. Dunedin, New Zealand: University of Otago.

Hutton, P. (2006). Beyond tokenism. Community Care, 34-35.

Ivec, M., Braithwaite, V., & Harris, N. (2012). "Resetting the Relationship" in Indigenous Child Protection: Public Hope and Private Reality. Law & Policy, 34, 80-103. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9930.2011.00354.x

Järvensivu, L., Pohjola, A., & Romakkaniemi, M. (2016). Locating Sámi social work in Finland: Meanings produced by social workers in working with Sámi people. International Social Work, 59, 600-613. doi:10.1177/0020872816646817

Kanter, R. M. (1977). Men and women of the corporation. New York, New York: Basic Books

Kaye, M. (1997). Family Whanau empowerment. Social Action. The Journal fo the Centre for Social Action, 3, 4-13.

Kelly, E. (2011) The use of a systematic review methodology in social work research. Social Work & Social Sciences Review 15(3) pp.72-85. DOI: 10.1921/095352212X657544Kinn, L. G., Holgersen, H.,

Ekeland, T. J., & Davidson, L. (2013). Metasynthesis and Bricolage: An Artistic Exercise of Creating a Collage of Meaning. Qual Health Res, 23, 1285-1292. doi:10.1177/1049732313502127

Kymlicka, W. (2002). Contemporary Political Philosophy. An Introduction (Second ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

Lawler, M. J., LaPlante, K. D., Giger, J. T., & Norris, D. S. (2012). Overrepresentation of Native American Children in Foster Care: An Independent Construct? Journal of Ethnic And Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 21, 95-110. doi:10.1080/15313204.2012.647344

Levine, M. (2000). The Family Group Conference in the New Zealand Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act of 1989 (CYP&F): Review and Evaluation. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 18, 517-556. doi:10.1002/1099-0798(2000)18:4<517

Love, C. (2000). Family Group Conferencing. Cultural Origins, Sharing and Appropriation - A Maori Reflection. In G. Burford & J. Hudson (Eds.), Family group conferencing-New directions in community-centred child & family practice. New Jersey, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers.

Love, C. (2002). Māori perspectives on collaboration and colonisation in contemporary Aotearoa/New Zealand child and family welfare policies and practices. Canada: Social work, Wilfred Laurier University.

Lupton, C., & Nixon, P. (1999). Empowering Practice? A critical appraisal of the family group conference approach. Bristol, United Kingdom: The Policy Press.

MacDonald, N., Glode, J., & Wien, F. (2005). Respecting aboriginal families: Pathways to resilience in custom adoption and family group conferencing. In M. Ungar (Ed.), Handbook for Working with Children and Youth: Pathways to Resilience Across Cultures and Contexts. London, England: Sage Publication.

Marcynyszyn, L. A., Bear, P. S., Geary, E., Conti, R., Pecora, P. J., Day, P. A., & Wilson, S. T. (2012). Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) with Lakota Families in Two Tribal Communities: Tools to Facilitate FGDM Implementation and Evaluation. Child Welfare, 91, 113-134.

Marsh, P., & Crow, G. (1998). Family Group Conferences in Child Welfare. London, United Kindgom: Blackwell Science.

Maxwell, G. (2008). Crossing Cultural boundaries: Implementing Restorative Justice in International and Indigenous Contexts. In H. V. Miller (Ed.), Restorative Justice: from Theory to Practice (Vol. 11, pp. 81-95). Bingley, United Kingdom: Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Maxwell, G., & Morris, A. (1992). The Family Group Conference: A new Paradigm for Making Decisions About Children and Young People. Children Australia, 17, 11-15. doi:10.1017/S1035077200012669

McCrae, J. S., & Fusco, R. A. (2010). A racial comparison of Family Group Decision Making in the USA. Child and Family Social Work, 15, 41-55. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2206.2009.00636.x

Moyle, P. (2014). Maori social workers' experiences of care and protection: A selection of findings. Aotearo New Zealand Social Work, 26, 55-64.

Moyle, P., & Tauri, J. M. (2016). Māori, Family Group Conferencing and the Mystifications of Restorative Justice. Victims and Offenders, 11, 87-106. doi:10.1080/15564886.2015.1135496

Mpofu, E., & Conyers, L. M. (2002). Application of tokenism theory to quality enhancement in rehabilitation services. Journal of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling; Manassas, 33, 31.

Neff, D. R. (2004). Perceptions of Procedural Justice in Child Protection: A Study of Family Group Conferencing. Hawaii, Hawaii: The University of Hawaii.

Niezen, R. (2003). The Origins of Indigenism. Human Rights and the Politics of Identity. California, California: University of California Press.

Nixon, P., Burford, G., Quinn, A., & Edelbaum, J. (2005). A Survey of International Practices, Policy & Research on Family Group Conferencing and Related Practices. Englewood, Colorado: National Center on Family Group Decision Making, American Humane.

O'Neill, M., & Gonzalez, D. (2014). Tribal and Non-tribal Agencies: A Comparison of how Social Work with Families is Conceptualized in the United States. Journal of Comparative social Work, 2, 1-25.

O'Shaughnessy, R., Collins, C., & Fatimilehin, I. (2010). Building bridges in Liverpool: Exploring the Use of Family Group Conferences for Black and Minority Ethnic Children and their Families. British Journal of Social Work, 40, 2034-2049. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcp102

Pennell, J. (2005). Widening the circle. In J. Pennell & G. Anderson (Eds.), Widening the Circle. The Practice and Evaluation of Family Group Conferencing with Children, Youths, and Their Families. Washington, Washington: NASW Press.

Pennell, J., & Burford, G. (1994). Widening the circle: Family group decision making. Journal of Child & Youth Care, 9, 1-12.

Pennell, J., Burford, G., Connolly, M., & Morris, K. (2011). Taking Child and Family Rights Seriously: Family Engagement and Its Evidence in Child Welfare. Child Welfare, 90, 9-18.

Rauktis, M. E., Huefner, J., & Cahalane, H. (2011). Perceptions of Fidelity to Family Group Decision-Making Principles: Examining the Impact of Race, Gender, and Relationship. Child Welfare, 90, 41-59.

Roby, J. L., Pennell, J., Rotabi, K., Bunkers, K. M., & Sully de Ucles. (2015). Contextual Adaptation of Family Group Conferencing Model: Early Evidence from Guatemala. The British Journal of Social Work, 45, 2281-2297. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcu053

Rotabi, K. S., Pennell, J., Roby, J. L., & Bunkers, K. M. (2012). Family group conferencing as a culturally adaptable intervention: Reforming intercountry adoption in Guatemala. International Social Work, 55, 402-416. doi:10.1177/0020872812437229

Ryburn, M., & Atherton, C. (1996). Family Group Conferences: Partnership in Practice. Adoption & Fostering, 20, 16-23. doi:10.1177/030857599602000105

Saus, M. (2010). Cultural competence and children in the North. In E.-L. Kronqvist & P. Hyvönen (Eds.), Insights and outlouds: Childhood research in the North Oulu: Oulu University Press.

Sheets, J., Wittenstrom, K., Fong, R., James, J., Tecc, M., Baumann, D. J., & Rodriguez, C. (2009). Evidence-based practice in family group decision-making for Anglo, African American and Hispanic families. Children and Youth Services Review, 31, 1187-1191. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2009.08.003

Shlonsky, A., Macvean, M., Devine, B., Mildon, R., & Barlow, J. (2013). Title registration for a review proposal: Individual and Group-Based Parenting Programmes for Improving Psychosocial Outcomes for Indigenous Parents and their Children: A Systematic Review (pp. 1-11): The Cambell Collaboration.

Sinha, V., Ellenbogen, S., & Trocmé, N. (2013). Substantiating neglect of first nations and non-aboriginal children. Children and Youth Services Review, 35, 2080-2090. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.10.007

Smith, L. T. (2012). Decolonizing Methodologies. Research and indigenous peoples. London, United Kingdom: Zed Books.

Stewart, S. L. (2008). Promoting indigenous mental health: cultural perspectives on healing from Native counsellors in Canada. International Journal of Health Promotion & Education, 46, 49-56.

Strandbu, A. (2007). Barns deltakelse og barneperspektivet i familierådsmodellen [Child participation and the child's perspective in the family group conference model]. (Doktorgradsavhandling i pedagogikk. ), Universitetet i Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway.

The Maori Perspective Advisory Committee. (1998/2001). PUAO-TE-ATA-TU, The Report of the Ministeral Advisory Committee on a Maori Perspective for the Departement of Social Welfare. Wellington, New Zealand.

Valenti, K. (2017). Family Group Conferencing with BME Families in Scotland. Practice, 29, 121-136. doi:10.1080/09503153.2016.1173667

Waites, C., Macgowan, M. J., Pennell, J., Carlton-LaNey, I., & Weil, M. (2004). Increasing the Cultural Responsiveness of Family Group Conferencing. Social Work, 49, 291-300. doi:10.1093/sw/49.2.291

Walsh, D., & Downe, S. (2005). Meta-synthesis method for qualitative research: a literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 50, 204-211. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005.03380.x

Weaver, H. N. (1999). Indigenous People and the Social Work Profession: Defining Culturally Competent Services. Social Work, 44, 217-225. doi:10.1093/sw/44.3.217

Weaver, H. N. (2004). The Elements of Cultural Competence. Journal of Ethnic & Cultural Diversity in Social Work, 13, 19-35. doi:10.1300/J051v13n01_02

Zehr, H. (2002). The Little Book of Restorative Justice Intercourse, Pennsylvania: Good Books.

Zimmer, L. (2006). Qualitative meta-synthesis: a question of dialoguing with texts. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53, 311-318. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03721.x