Media release from Hon Ruth Dyson, Associate Minister for Social Development and Employment (Child, Youth and Family Services)

New Zealand can be justly proud of pioneering the Family Group Conference said the Minister for Child, Youth and Family Services, Ruth Dyson, today in her opening address to the international conference Te Hokinga Mai - Coming Home.

"This conference is a fitting celebration to mark the eighteen years since Family Group Conferences were introduced in New Zealand and a valuable opportunity to share and learn from international developments.

“The Family Group Conference's origins are uniquely New Zealand. The FGC has been adopted and adapted around the world as a best practice model in countries such as the United States, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom."

The Family Group Conference was established in New Zealand in 1989 with the passing of the Children, Young Persons, and their Families Act as the decision-making process used in the statutory child welfare and youth justice systems.

The conference Te Hokinga Mai - Coming Home will provide a forum to exchange information and share knowledge, examining how the FGC model is working both in New Zealand and overseas. The conference features more than 60 speakers, 36 of those from overseas.

“The passing of the CYPF legislation was visionary and the Family Group Conference is its cornerstone. Looking forward, our Labour-led government is committed to ensuring that social services continue to be delivered in such a way which strengthens children’s places in their families and their communities.”

The conference is being held over three days between the 27th and 29th of November 2006 in Wellington.

Click here to read Ruth Dyson's welcoming address.

Contact
Ria Keenan, press secretary,  ph 04 471 9342 or 021 227 9342
OR
Lee Harris Royal, National Media Advisor Child, Youth and Family Services  ph 04 918 9124 or 029 250 4077.