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Brigham Young University
Elaine Walton and Jini Roby (social work) are collaborating in the evaluation of the new Family Group Conference model. Recently introduced into the Utah child welfare system, the model was borrowed from New Zealand where the Family Group Conference has been mandated by law since 1989. The Family Group Conference is a meeting of the extended family convened for the purpose of empowering the family to make decisions and resolve issues that have previously been the domain of child welfare workers. Because the program is so new and still evolving as it is being implemented, Walton and Roby are evaluating the model with a qualitative research design. Research assistants are conducting extensive interviews with both family members and a variety of professionals who are involved with the program. The findings from the research will be helpful to child welfare administrators and policy makers in determining the degree to which such a program should be more broadly implemented or how the model might be appropriately modified.