2025–2026 Services delivered: Family Group Conferencing, Ontario provincial resource

Component: Child welfare - community and prevention supports

Legislation: Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017 (CYFSA)

Service objectives

The key objective is to expand the availability of Family Group Conferencing (FGC) in Ontario.

Service description

The transfer payment recipient will use funds to

• Act as a hub of expertise and best practice in Family Group Conferencing (FGC)
• Provide training and consultation to service providers across Ontario wishing to enhance their capacity to deliver effective FGC
• Maintain and update the provincial FGC Manual; and
• Maintain a public roster of FGC coordinators, trainers and mentors

Program/service features

The services are directed at improving access to FGC practitioners in Ontario through providing educational and training opportunities to practitioners, promoting FGC as a means to resolving disputes, and providing a roster of practitioners.

Program goals

Increase the availability of FGC to streamline court processes and encourage alternatives to court with respect to child protection disputes.

Ministry expectations

The transfer payment recipient will

• Maintain and update a web-based roster of FGC coordinators, coordinators-in- training, trainers and mentors, including
  • Review all FGC coordinators’, trainers’ and mentors’ qualifications to ensure they meet the criteria for inclusion on the roster
  • Include coordinators’ geographical region(s) of practice on the roster review and revise the roster admission criteria
  • Communicate with rostered coordinators to ensure compliance with Ministry requirements (police check and professional liability insurance) on an ongoing basis
  • Facilitate the matching of coordinators-in-training and mentors
• Act as a provincial hub of expertise and best practice, coordinate requests for and delivery of training including
  • Provide dedicated staff to respond to calls, provide advice and match needs provide skilled trainers to deliver workshops to meet requests
  • Oversee the provision of the 3-day FGC Coordinator Training course on a cost recovery basis
  • Oversee the development and provision of staff development for FGC mentors
  • Provide program and case-based consultation to members on the roster
  • Administer trainee satisfaction surveys and evaluations
  • Establish and support a Faculty of Trainers to provide the FGC Coordinator Training program
  • Deliver the 3-day FGC Coordinator Training course at least twice per year
  • Develop the capacity to offer FGC Coordinator Training in both English and French
• Participate actively in the Provincial ADR Advisory Committee (PAAC), supporting the committees work plan for each fiscal year including actions to promote the use of ADR and improve outcomes for families and child welfare partners
• Maintain and update the Ontario FGC Manual and trainers’ materials
  • Provide to provincial consistency and best practice guidelines
  • Develop a version of the FGC New Coordinator Training Curriculum for use via video conferencing platform - adjust content, activities and delivery process for an on-line learning experience
  • Update training packages for FGC trainers on an as-needed basis
  • Ensure that the Ontario FGC Manual and trainers’ materials are available in both English and French
• Develop and promote a network of FGC coordinators, trainers and mentors to play a leadership role in providing training, mentoring, building capacity and promoting FGC across the province
  • Coordinate a steering committee made up primarily of trainers and mentors, inclusive of child welfare, community partners, and regional representation, to meet up to four times a year (in person and/or via video conferencing) to
    • oversee the integrity of expertise and best practice among the network
    • oversee the capacity development of FGC across the Province
    • develop and update promotional, educational and training materials; and
    • coordinate training and mentoring across the Province
  • Maintain currency, quality and integrity of training and evaluation
• Develop promotional, educational and training activities and materials to support FGC as a method of child welfare Alternative Dispute Resolution ADR
  • Offer semi-annual staff development days (Fall and Spring) for coordinators and their community partners to provide peer networking/ support and skill building
  • Offer skills-building/professional development sessions on an as-needed basis
  • Develop and deliver professional development webinars to FGC Coordinators
• Serve as the rotating Chair of the Provincial ADR Advisory Committee (role rotates every 2 years), to build a community of practice among ADR providers and community partners based on relationship-building, networking and sharing of best practices
  • Bring together stakeholders in the ADR Community, including practitioners of FGC, Child Protection Mediation , and Indigenous Approaches, Transfer Payment Agencies, Children’s Aid Societies, the Legal Community, the Ministry and others
  • Plan and host quarterly meetings of the advisory group, developing meeting agenda, meeting materials, reports and minutes as required
  • Determine the key deliverables and establish a work plan and meeting schedule to advance the committee goals

Reporting requirements

The transfer payment recipient is expected to monitor and evaluate program performance and to confirm that program objectives and deliverables are being met.

On an Interim and Final basis, the transfer payment recipient will submit reports on financial and service data through Transfer Payment Ontario (TPON).

The following service data will be reported on at an Interim and Final basis in TPON. Please refer to your final agreement for report back due dates and targets.